Microids has announced a Flashback 2 delay, with the upcoming sequel to the classic cinematic platformer being pushed back to next year. This decision means that the game now won't be released in time for the 1992 original's 30th anniversary.
Why was Flashback 2 delayed?
According to a tweet by Microids sent out earlier today, the Flashback 2 delay was arrived at in order to "deliver an adventure matching players' expectations". No more justification is given, but it's likely that the game simply isn't ready for release yet and that some extra development time is needed. As a result, Microids says the game will now be arriving in 2023, and that "a more accurate launch date" will be coming later down the line. It's a shame Flashback 2 won't be ready in time for the game's 30th anniversary, but such is life.
What is Flashback 2?
After putting Flashback firmly back in the minds of gamers with its Flashback and Another World collection in late 2019, Microids announced that Flashback 2 was in development back in May last year. It'll serve as a direct followup to the original Flashback and will once again follow Conrad as he battles the Morph alien species and attempts to save the world. Flashback 2 will feature similar cinematic platformer-style gameplay to the original game, and it will also feature jet bike vehicle sequences and upgradeable equipment, among other things.
Of course, if you're a Flashback fan, you'll probably be asking "but what about 1995's Fade to Black"? Well, apparently, Microids is pretty happy to erase that game from the canon and press on with its own Flashback 2 as the "true" sequel. Flashback 2's Steam page makes no mention of Fade to Black, instead picking up after Conrad's victory in the original Flashback. If you were hoping Flashback 2 would be set after Fade to Black, then it looks like you're out of luck.
Microids has promised to keep eager Flashback 2 fans updated with the game's development progress, so hopefully, we'll hear a little more about this one as we get closer to 2023. In the meantime, Microids isn't resting on its laurels. The studio is currently working on three (yes, three) Garfield games, so if everyone's favorite lasagna-munching Monday-hating cat being in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl isn't enough for you, more is on the way.
The company also recently showed off gameplay from its upcoming XIII remake overhaul; the game was extremely poorly-received on launch, so Microids is reworking it, revamping the AI and fixing some of players' most common complaints. Here's hoping the new direction does the original game justice. Speaking of original games, if you want to go back and check out Flashback ahead of the sequel's release, you can do so on PC and consoles right now. Just make sure you avoid the awful 2013 remake.
