High on Life, the upcoming oddball first-person shooter from Squanch Games and Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, has the potential to be something special. Squanch's previous games, Accounting and Trover Saves the Universe, have built its reputation and laid the stage for High on Life's opportunity. Oddly enough, it's those high expectations from Squanch itself that may have led to the recent decision to delay the game. Rather than throw High on Life up against God of War and Call of Duty, Squanch wants High on Life to have room to breathe.

Squanch creative officer Mikey Spano recently shared the thoughts of the studio in an interview with GamesRadar+. Spano explained that the release month that High on Life was originally planned for, October, is very "crowded." Spano specifically mentions Call of Duty and God of War, though God of War Ragnarok launches in November. According to Spano, if High on Life is "missing out on the conversation" due to these other game releases then it's a "missed opportunity."

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Games being delayed in order to fit into a better schedule is a frequent occurrence in the video game industry, though it's often left unsaid. Video game fans typically don't like hearing a game that they want has been pushed back in pursuit of improved market conditions. There's no argument that launching up against Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and God of War Ragnarok would be difficult for a game depending on word of mouth, though. Those games will suck a lot of the oxygen out of the room.

Squanch won't be letting the extra time, around a month and a half, go to waste. On the previous release schedule, Spano says that while the game would have been great the team also believed that more time would allow for important polish time. Specifically, Act 2 of High on Life could be brought to a similar level of polish as Act 1 and Act 3.

While Spano doesn't mention it, there's also another factor that could play a key role in the decision to delay High on Life. High on Life is an Xbox Game Pass Day One release. October is already packed with some major Xbox Game Pass titles, including Persona 5 Royal, Scorn, and Signalis. December, on the other hand, is much more open. The delayed release works to Xbox's benefit, too, which is a major partnership for Squanch for High on Life.

December is certainly a much better month for games that aren't from an established franchise. The only two bigger games releasing the same week as High on Life is the Nintendo Switch exclusive Dragon Quest Treasures and niche bullet hell shooter Akai Katana Shin from Cave. Where it is now, High on Life has room to be a part of the conversation, exactly what Squanch wants for the game.

High on Life releases December 13 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: High on Life's Best Design Choice is Weapons That Talk

Source: GamesRadar+