Listen Here
By:Collin Frazier
@Collin_53
We truly are in the golden era of video games. With better technology and more money invested in stories, artwork, voice acting, gameplay, and musical scores, video gaming is now receiving the recognition it deserves as art. However, even with so much invested, one dilemma with gaming is when to release the game. Unfortunately, the time window game developers give themselves may not be enough time to develop a truly unique gaming experience.
Such is the case with two highly-anticipated video games coming out this year, CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077, originally slated for an April 16 release now moved to September 17, and Square Enix’s Marvel’s The Avengers, originally planned for a May 5 release now delayed until September 4. In a tweet by CD Projekt Red (@CDProjektRed), they explain that while the game is playable and complete, the setting of the game, Night City, is so massive and immersive that they simply need more time to make the final polishes to make what many will say is the game of the year. For The Avengers, a representative from Square Enix had stated that the delay was necessary so players can have “the ultimate Avengers gaming experience”.
When the media first finds out about game delays, I have seen the response on either spectrum; they either understand why the developers made the decision and support it, or they see it as the developers don’t have enough faith in the game and it hurts its reputation. Cyberpunk 2077 has received the former, Marvel’s The Avengers the latter. I think this comes from the developers behind the respected game. In the case of Cyberpunk, the trailers have looked so good with its visuals, plot, and gameplay. CD Projekt Red is also responsible for the critically-acclaimed The Witcher franchise. As for The Avengers, complaints have come in for its character design, being very derivative of each character’s MCU counterparts, and the fact that a certain character is unplayable, despite his or her popularity. What also hurts their reputation is Square Enix had just recently delayed another highly anticipated game to come out this year, a remake of the classic Final Fantasy VII.
Being a gamer long enough, I’ve come to accept that delays is something that is necessary for a game to be a cut above the rest. One company that comes to mind is Rockstar, the developer for both Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2, both of which are some of the greatest games of all time. Both were delayed, both became legends. While neither game will be as good as the two mentioned, it shows that delaying a game usually yields a better game. I doubt that many people will complain about Cyberpunk being delayed since it has received praise, but in the case of The Avengers, people need to trust Square Enix. They make very good story-based games, including my favorite video game franchise of all time, Kingdom Hearts. It took a whopping 14 years for Kingdom Hearts 3 to officially come out, and it was well worth the wait. So what’s waiting a little longer for games to reach their full potential?
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