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Pathologic launch delayed as Ice-Pick Lodge strives to meet game’s ‘added scope’

Pathologic

The last time we touched base with Pathologic – the reimagining of a now decade old survival horror release – it had reached its Kickstarter goal and was pitching the idea of strapping on the odd stretch goal or two. Fast forward a couple of years, and the dev behind it has admitted it may have bitten off more than it can chew.

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In a refreshingly candid Kickstarter post, the studio – Ice-Pick Lodge – has revealed Pathologic’s release has been postponed until the Fall of 2017, claiming it had failed to allow for the time it would take to work on the additional content it promised during its crowdfunding campaign.

In short, Pathologic is a far bigger project now than it was when it was initially pitched, and it’s going to take quite a bit longer to make.

“The original plans for the release date were set with the basic scope of the game in mind. It seems a bit immodest to admit, but we did include our first stretch goal, the Town Expanded, into that; but not the rest of them,” details the blog post.

“The game has grown in scope now, so developing it properly requires additional time. Also, the vision for this version of Pathologic has shifted during the development. What started as a humble rejuvenation of a classic beloved by the studio turned into a full-fledged reimagining rather quickly, but it took us time to realize what that truly entails.

“The corners that we were planning to cut turned into diamond quickly. However faithful to the original vision, this Pathologic is a new game in many aspects, from the engine to the concept art.”

The studio admits it’s “facing technical challenges” and that “creating an open world game in Unity is trying”, but claims that the end product will be worth the wait.

“Look at it this way: we can either mar our conscience by missing the deadline in a rather spectacular fashion, or by releasing a game that falls short on its promises,” concludes Ice-Pick. “But only one of these outcomes leaves everybody with a good game in their library in the end.”

In more positive news, while the full game may be more than a year away, a spin off mini-game made for Gamescom earlier this month will be made available to backers of the Question and Answers tier and higher in a couple of months. Though not indicative of the final game, the studio does claim it showcases the “mood and setting” of Pathologic, with Ice-Pick having also dropped a placeholder for the full release on Steam to whet your appetite. Either that, or it’s there just to frustrate you for the next 12 months.