2020 saw a slew of critically acclaimed and long awaited titles come out on all platforms. One of the most memorable years in gamming in recent memory, gamers were able to explore a variety of different worlds and discover tons of franchises new and old. For many studios however, the year was a major challenge.
Plenty of games intended to release in 2020 were delayed further into the year. In many cases, games were just continually pushed back, either setting up for a 2021 release or leaving development status a mystery. As great as 2020 was for the titles that fans got, plenty of highly anticipated games never saw the light of day. These titles were supposed to release in 2020 but never did.
10 Guilty Gear -STRIVE-
Guilty Gear -STRIVE- is one of many titles that suffered development issues due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. The game was announced at EVO 2018 and was expected to hit shelves sometime in 2020, but things didn’t quite go as planned.
Producer Takashi Yamanaka announced in May that the game would have to be pushed back to a 2021 release date due to the virus. Later on in the year, -STRIVE- was set with an April 6, 2021 release date which seems likely to stick this time around.
9 Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Announced in June of 2020, Kena: Bridge of Spirits impressed many with its beautiful visuals and promising premise. Though it was initially intended to release later on in the year, developer Ember Lab pushed it back to March 2021 as a result of COVID related difficulties.
With plenty of promise, Bridge of Spirits has tons of hype surrounding it. Whether or not it can meet expectations is yet to be seen, should its March 2021 release date stick.
8 Outriders
Development for People Can Fly’s Outsiders first began in 2015, with the studio growing from a modest 40 members to over 200 since then. Backed by Square Enix, buzz around the title hasn’t subsided since it was officially announced at E3 2019.
Outsiders was officially delayed to April 1st, 2021 and nothing has yet indicated that this won’t be the case. With any luck, fans will finally get their hands on this title within the next few weeks.
7 Tales of Arise
The Tales franchise is an absolute powerhouse of the JRPG genre, and has released 16 titles since first debuting in 1995. The series’ 17th mainline entry, Tales if Arise is scheduled to come out sometime this year and fans are pumped to learn more about it.
The game promises to build upon the franchises’ current formula, though not much is known about it. Arise is being put together by a veteran team familiar with the series. The team includes developers who’ve worked ion games as far back as Tales of Phantasia and will see Tales of Berseria & Zestiria character designer Minoru Iwamoto return.
6 Rainbow Six Quarantine
Siege continues to establish itself as one of the most popular multiplayer experiences currently available. With so much support from fans and countless reworks, the game seems to never get stale. It’s so popular that Ubisoft announced a spin-off called Rainbow Six Quarantine in October 2019.
The game is inspired by Siege’s Outbreak event and promises to return to classic Rainbow Six mechanics not present in Siege. Quarantine looked to be set for a 2020 release but that never transpired. Ubisoft promises to have the game release before the end of September.
5 Deathloop
Developer Arkane Studios grabbed everyone’s attention when they announced Deathloop back at E3 2019. Notable for their work on the Dishonored franchise, Arkane’s work on Deathloop looks to be their most ambitious yet.
The game is set to be a timed console exclusive but will release on the PC later on. It was intended for a late 2020 release, but was delayed to Q2 2021 and seems to be set for a May 21st release.
4 Psychonauts 2
Psychonauts 2 has been an anticipated title for years, and fans are going to have to wait a little bit longer before they can get their hands on it. The game was first announced way back in 2015, and has been in development ever since.
There have been no shortage of delays in Psychonauts 2’s development cycle. The game was first intended for a 2018 release before getting pushed back to 2019, then 2020 and now 2021. Whether or not it sticks this time around is anyone’s guess.
3 Digimon Survive
The Digimon franchise has been fairly touch and go, especially in recent years. Digimon Survive seems like a much needed breath of fresh air, though not much is known about the title. Details have been scare but players do know that it will mix TRPG and survival elements.
Fans are eager to learn more about the game, but Bandai Namco have been tight lipped thus far. First announced in July 2018, Survive was first delayed the year following its announcement to 2020. Producer Kazumasa Habu later stated that the game would be pushed back again due to certain aspects of the game being reviewed and reworked.
2 Skull & Bones
Ubisoft’s Skull & Bones looks to be one of the most anticipated titles of 2021. Helmed by the same studio behind Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, the game promises to deliver some epic naval combat.
It was announced in September 2020 that a new version of the game was being worked on which resulted in the need for more development time than initially anticipated. No concrete release date has been confirmed.
1 Dying Light 2
Easily one of the most anticipated games on this list, Dying Light 2’s development has been mired with issues. The game was first announced at E3 2018 and after going dark for nearly two years, developer Techland announced that the game would be pushed back from its anticipated early 2020 release window. No significant updates have been given since.