The delays keep coming, as SIE Japan Studio’s Gravity Rush 2 is the latest title to miss its previously scheduled release date. Originally set to launch on December 2 in North America, the highly-anticipated sequel will now release on January 20, 2017.
Picking up following the events of the original Gravity Rush, the sequel once again stars gravity-shifting heroine Kat. Joined by her friend Raven for this go-around, the title will transport the action to a brand new location. Plot details are still being mostly kept under wraps, but as long as the gameplay is still solid, I imagine most fans are fine being kept in the dark.
Posting to the PlayStation Blog, Gravity Rush 2 Game Director Keiichiro Toyama offered up a brief explanation as to why this delay needed to happen.
Gravity Rush 2 is the conclusion of Kat’s journey, so we want players to have enough time to dive deep into her story. In addition, as a lot of work went into online features that allow for asynchronous player interaction, we want as many people as possible playing the title at the same time. Thus, after careful deliberation, we have decided to change the release date. Gravity Rush 2 will now launch on January 20, 2017.
I would like to apologize to all those players anxiously awaiting Gravity Rush 2. After four years of development making a title we are very proud of, we want to release it at the very best time.
While this delay is obviously not ideal, at least something good is coming out of it. In order to apologize for the wait, the previously announced premium DLC will now be released for free. This content will feature additional story beats not included in the standard Gravity Rush 2 release.
For a smaller title such as this one, a delay out of the busy holiday season can sometimes be beneficial. Theoretically it now avoids competing against games such as Final Fantasy XV and The Last Guardian for sales. However, the new release date isn’t that much better from a competition standpoint. The sequel will now launch only four days prior to the release of both Resident Evil 7 and Kingdom Hearts 2.8, which means it could have some tough competition when it comes to sales.
