Square Enix has announced another Forspoken delay. The game will now be released in January 2023 "as a result of ongoing discussions with key partners", according to Square Enix, and more news on the game is coming later this summer.
Another Forspoken delay? When is the new release date?
Back in March, Square Enix pushed back the release date for Forspoken, which was originally due to launch in May this year. Back then, the developers said they needed more time to polish the game, but the reason for the new Forspoken delay is slightly more nebulous, with Square Enix citing "key partners" and discussions being held with those partners as the main reason. While Square Enix and developer Luminous Productions don't name the "key partners" they're referring to, it's more than likely they're talking about Sony. The God of War Ragnarok release date was just revealed for November, and if Forspoken keeps its October release date, it could clash with Ragnarok, hence the move to January. Again, we can't confirm or corroborate this, but given the timing of the Ragnarok and Forspoken announcements, it seems pretty plausible.
The delay isn't too long, though, as the new Forspoken release date is January 24th, 2023. Square Enix says that all game elements "are now complete" and that the game's development cycle has entered its final polishing phase, so it's more about ensuring the game looks and feels good as opposed to doing any more work on critical assets or elements, it seems. What's more, Square Enix says that more information about Forspoken will be on its way "later this summer", so stay tuned for that.
What is Forspoken?
Forspoken is an upcoming open-world action RPG developed by Luminous Productions and published by Square Enix. Announced in June 2020 as Project Athia, the game was subsequently renamed to Forspoken in 2021. It's essentially an isekai story that follows Frey, a young girl who's mysteriously transported from her home in New York City to the fantasy land of Athia. Along with her mouthy companion Cuff, she must explore Athia and discover a way to get back home.
You'll be able to pick up Forspoken when it launches for PS5 and PC next year. It's already been the subject of some controversy thanks to its $69.99 price tag on PC, which raised some eyebrows amongst the gaming community when it was announced last year. Whatever your opinion on Forspoken pricing or this most recent release date delay might be, just make sure you take the words of our own Andrew Stretch to heart and act in a civil manner towards the developers and publishers.
