Via Mirror's Edge Catalyst's official website, DICE and Electronic Arts announce that the prequel to 2008's original game is now delayed until May 2016.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst was originally scheduled for availability on February 23, 2016, which would have put the parkour-driven title's release alongside Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Far Cry Primal, but now DICE has declared that the game will be delayed until May 24, 2016. While neither the studio nor its parent company Electronic Arts have given an exact reason as to why Mirror's Edge Catalyst is being postponed, fans have been thanked for their “patience and support.”

Although the game is being pushed back, Sara Jansson, DICE's Senior Producer for the title, assures fans that the delay is happening in order to ensure that they get the best experience possible when they take over the role of Faith once more. Regarding Mirror's Edge Catalyst's setback, Jansson wrote, “We will use these few extra months to make sure that when you step into the massive City of Glass and experience the rise of Faith, it’s as entertaining, impressive, and memorable as it can be.”

EA officially confirmed Mirror's Edge Catalyst's initial release date via its Twitter account a week prior to E3 2015, and fans have subsequently been receiving tastes of what kind of gameplay will be included. While the prequel will stick firmly to its free-running roots, it's also being promoted as a departure from the inaugural installment in some respects.

As far as changes go, there will be no gun combat, as opposed to Faith's ability to wield weapons against enemies in the first one. Additionally, DICE decided to expand upon the title's single-player mode by providing Mirror's Edge Catalyst with multiplayer elements ranging from leaderboard-based Dash races to hacking billboards as a means to indirectly communicate with other gamers.

Save for today's announcement, it's been roughly three months since we've heard anything substantial about Mirror's Edge Catalyst. The last significant update was DICE's sneak peek at the game's narrative with a story trailer back in July.

When a studio pushes back a title's release date during the production process, it's often construed as bad sign for creators and gamers alike. Be that as it may, it's important to note how difficult game development can be, and that deferring the launch day doesn't necessarily mean the end result will a be poorly conceived mess. From concept to completion, there are an innumerable amount of tasks and hurdles involved, and since there's nothing to go on as to why the hold-up for Mirror's Edge Catalyst is happening, fans will do well to remain optimistic. In the meantime, check out our hands-on preview to get a better idea of what can be expected.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst is now set for release on May 24, 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: Mirror's Edge