Dontnod Entertainment’s next game, Vampyr , has been pushed back from Nov. 2017 to spring 2018. In a press release from publisher Focus Home Interactive, Dontnod CEO Oskar Guilbert stated:
“Delaying the release of a project you hold dear is always a tough decision. However, we believe that meeting a deadline should never compromise quality. We were still convinced just a few weeks ago that we would be able to release Vampyr this year. Unfortunately, a technical issue – now solved – has set our teams’ schedule back at the end of the development.
“This delay allows us enough time for all the polishing and balancing phase, much needed for a game of Vampyr ’s scope, with its ambitious, semi-open world, its complex narrative and deep RPG mechanics that give players a real impact on the world.”
At least the issue that caused the delay has already been resolved, right? I’d rather get a good game late than a wonky bug-filled glitchfest on time, so I don’t mind at all. Listen, as a Legend of Zelda fan, I’m just glad it’s been pushed back a few quarters, not a few years.
Anyway, there’s plenty of content to enjoy for Vampyr fans that look forward to the game’s moody take on London in 1918 (haunted by World War I, choked by the Spanish Flu and infested with vampires… charmed, I’m sure?). You can check out a few trailers and screenshots , as well as a lengthy gameplay trailer that reveals gameplay features such as:
Territory ratings
A ghoulish type of vampire called a “skal”
Interacting with the citizens of London to learn more about your surroundings
Combat choices like eating the innocent for XP boosts or fighting dangerous minibosses to preserve London’s healthy population instead
Three bars you must manage during combat for health, stamina and supernatural abilities
An extended cutscene that lets you decide a pivotal character’s fate
The gameplay footage is “not indicative of the final quality,” but looks damned good for alpha footage to me.
Dontnod is also working on a new Life is Strange game separate from Deck Nine’s prequel Before the Storm as well as a mysterious narrative adventure game with Bandai Namco described as “an original IP,” set in a fictional US city .
For more about Vampyr , check out our interview with lead writer Stéphane Beauverge and art director Grégori Szucs about the inspiration behind the game’s moody feel, gameplay details and the troublesome duality of protagonist Dr. Reid: “he is a doomed, gothic and tragic figure,” said Beauverger.
Are you bummed about the Vampyr delay? What do you think about games being pushed back for quality reasons? Acceptable or nah? Feel free to sound off in our comments section below.
