Arkane Studio's Deathloop has been a heavily anticipated title, right from the game's announcement at Bethesda's E3 2019 showcase. The studio has consistently shown a knack for putting out boundary-pushing and inventive first-person-shooters, and Deathloop seems no different. The game became even more of a talking point with its PS5 timed-exclusivity deal, which hasn't changed in any way with Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda.
Recently, however, Deathloop has been delayed to September 14, 2021, which is roughly after three months of its planned release date. Fans are understandable enough, some are disappointed at such a late delay, but it seems in everyone's best interest that Deathloop remains in the oven for some time now.
The most obvious benefit of the delay is definitely more development time, which is ultimately best for the game in the long run. After many disastrous launches such as the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, gamers would rather wait out for a finished game rather than force developers to enter crunch mode for hitting deadlines. However, there are a couple more reasons as to why Deathloop's delay is ultimately beneficial.
Deathloop's Overshadowing Of Returnal
Sony might have had a slow start with the PlayStation 5 launch, with Demon's Souls being the only "system-seller." While other exclusives such as Destruction AllStars have been released, they have failed to create a huge impact on the console's library for now. However, it seems that Sony is poised to dominate the rest of 2021 with a steady stream of exclusives, with the first in line being Housemarque's Returnal.
That being said, despite Returnal's unique roguelike spin on clockwork game design, it has been severely overshadowed by Arkane's Deathloop. While it might be great that Sony is packing as many exclusive titles as it can, it's ultimately best that each game gets an ample amount to shine, especially when each game would cost $70 at retail. With the delay of Deathloop, many fans would instead invest in Returnal at launch and possibly the game gets its seemingly well-deserved limelight.
The PS5 Stock Situation And Freedom Of Play
It's been almost 5 months since the release of the PS5, but the stock shortages still seem to affect consumers all over the world. While the situation is constantly improving with each passing day, it seems that there's still some time until all potential customers would get a hold of a console. With the delay, many console gamers now have more of a chance to play Deathloop at launch.
Deathloop is launching September 14 for PC and PlayStation 5.