Developer Gato Studio has announced that an internal quality pass has led to a The Waylanders delay. The upcoming party-based RPG was due to launch this month, but will instead arrive in early 2022 in order to give the devs more time to polish the game.
What's the cause behind this The Waylanders delay?
This is the second time we've seen a The Waylanders delay this year, after the Celtic RPG was pushed back to November back in June. Back then, Gato Studio cited COVID-related difficulties as the reason for the delay, and that's also something the studio has brought up in its latest delay announcement on Steam. Gato Studio says it conducted an "internal review pass" on The Waylanders and found that it needed more polish, which is why the game has been pushed back to early next year.
Despite this delay, it's not all bad news. The next The Waylanders update in Early Access will have new stuff to offer "to help tide players over". This includes improvements for several extant areas like The Cave of Eternity and The Fomorian World, as well as text localization for Celtic-era quests and several bug fixes for community-reported issues. Looks like you'll have something to get your teeth into soon, even if it isn't The Waylanders 1.0.
When is the new The Waylanders release date?
You'll be able to get your hands on this indie RPG soon, if not as soon as you'd like. The new The Waylanders release date is February 2nd. It's launching into a pretty crowded month; February next year also sees the release of long-awaited From Software action RPG Elden Ring, as well as zombie parkour sim Dying Light 2 and robot dinosaur-'em-up Horizon Forbidden West, among others. The Waylanders isn't occupying the same niche as these giants, so it'll probably still find its audience, but it's a brave move nonetheless.
When it does launch in February, The Waylanders will offer a 30-hour gameplay experience with two-plus hours of cinematics to enjoy. It focuses on the conflict between the Celts and the Tuatha de Danaan, their gods, which obviously goes disastrously awry. If this sounds like your kind of game, you can pick it up via Steam Early Access right now. It'll set you back $34.99, but you will, of course, gain access to the full game when it's released.
Are you looking forward to playing The Waylanders next year? Let us know in the comments below!
