Developer Rebellion announces that World War II shooter Sniper Elite 4 is being delayed into 2017, alongside the reveal of several new screenshots from the game.

In recent years, it certainly seems as though more high-profile releases receive delays than manage to launch on schedule. A few weeks ago, No Man's Sky was pushed back to August, while a number of games including Uncharted 4 and The Division failed to meet their provisional 2015 deadlines. Now, another game has joined that list - Sniper Elite 4.

Rebellion has revealed that Sniper Elite 4 is no longer going to meet its end of 2016 release date. However, the developer was able to give a precise update on when the game will actually be available to players. The title is now set for release on February 14, 2017, and will be ready to buy on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

The news of the delay may come as a bit of a surprise for fans of the franchise. After all, Sniper Elite 4 was originally given a 2016 release window mere months ago, when the game received an official teaser trailer. Thankfully, the disappointment found from the announcement of this delay will be tempered slightly by a new set of screenshots from the game, which can be seen in the gallery below.

[gallery columns="2" link="file" ids="307697,307698,307699,307700,307701,307702,307703,307704"]

Sniper Elite 4 takes the series to World War II Italy, specifically in 1943. The user will once more play the role of Karl Fairburne, and this time the OSS agent is tasked with a mission that revolves around helping the Italian resistance take down the fascist government that has taken charge of the country. Rebellion seems to have done a good job of recreating the feel of Italy during that time, at least based on the early screenshots and footage that has appeared thus far.

The delay may be down to the enhanced features that Sniper Elite 4 is set to include. Building greatly upon what was available in previous games in the franchise, the next instalment in the series is expected to include much larger maps, as well as single player, multiplayer versus, and multiplayer co-operative game modes. Although there was some speculation that the game could run with VR compatibility due to a mysterious listing for E3 2016, this has yet to be confirmed.

It's fair to say that Sniper Elite 4 does need to improve upon previous iterations of the franchise. Although other Sniper Elite games have proven fun, the quality has not always been up to par, with Sniper Elite 3 suffering from a lack of cohesion between different mechanics. Hopefully, this delay will prove to make the Sniper Elite 4 experience much better for players.

Sniper Elite 4 will now be released on February 14, 2017, for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.