At this point, delays are pretty much synonymous with the games industry. Video games — especially on the big budget, AAA side of things — are highly complex creations that take large teams years to make and the truth is that no matter how confident you are that you’ll get your game out by a specific date, the reality is that unforeseen issues at every stage of the development chain can significantly impact the ability to get a game completed on time. There’s nothing wrong with this, of course, as a delayed game often results in a higher quality game thanks to the added development time, but it’s admittedly no fun having to wait even longer for a game when they already take years to make.
While we’re hopeful that all of the following games will hit their 2016 release windows, the reality is that there are going to be games pushed back to 2017 and these are the titles most likely to get hit with a delay:
8. Dishonored 2
The original Dishonored was one of 2012’s biggest surprises: a brand new intellectual property that not only achieved critical acclaim, but also provided further proof that games not based on pre-existing franchises can be successful too, as it was one of the year’s top sellers. As such, Dishonored 2 is one of 2016’s most anticipated games, but there’s a good chance we won’t be seeing the final product until next year. For one, the game still has a vague 2016 release window, which indicates that the final release date is still not close to being nailed down. Secondly, Bethesda Softworks already has the Doom reboot scheduled to drop sometime in Q1 or Q2 of 2016, so if the publisher is going to delay a game, it will almost surely be the one with a less defined, later release window. That being said, it’s very tough to say at this point whether Dishonored 2 will be delayed or not, but if it is, I won’t be in the least bit surprised.
