Dontnod Entertainment has decided to delay the release of their upcoming project Vampyr from their original 2017 launch target to spring 2018. The reason for this setback seems to have been an unexpected technical issue that has affected the productivity of the different teams involved with the development. The studio, with Life Is Strange among its previous projects, will now try to use this extra time to work on polishing and balancing the game, an essential task when it comes to a title with so many different elements interacting with each other in the same world.
Vampyr is defined as a ‘narrative driven action-RPG’ in which players take control of Dr. Jonathan Reid, a surgeon who returns to London after serving in the Great War, only to be turned into a vampire against his will. Debating between his new physiological needs and his oath to help anyone suffering from any disease, Reid will decide his victims according to how can they help him to improve his abilities. At the same time, the death of every civilian in the game will affect their relationships with other characters, meaning that the killing of a key figure in a neighborhood could mean the downfall of the whole district.
The delay was announced through the following message from the studio: Delaying the release of a project you hold dear is always a tough decision. However, we believe that meeting a deadline should never compromise quality. We were still convinced just a few weeks ago that we would be able to release Vampyr this year. Unfortunately, a technical issue – now solved – has set our teams’ schedule back at the end of the development. This delay allows us enough time for all the polishing and balancing phase, much needed for a game of Vampyr‘s scope, with its ambitious, semi-open world, its complex narrative and deep RPG mechanics that give players a real impact on the world. We want to thank our publisher Focus Home Interactive for giving us the means and time necessary to provide players a memorable experience… especially since so many of you are eagerly waiting for it.
Vampyr is expected to launch for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on spring 2018.
