Forspoken, the action RPG published by Square-Enix, which was originally set to launch in May, has been delayed a second time, as the creators announce the game is in its “final polishing phase”, with all of the game elements “now complete”.
Forspoken’s May release was initially pushed to October, but now both Square-Enix and developer Luminous Productions have announced the game will instead launch on January 24, 2023. The decision was apparently made following discussions with “key partners”, and could possibly be related to other games that are now slated to launch in October – with A Plague Tale: Requiem, Gotham Knights, and of course Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 all competing for consumers’ cash, there is a risk that a new IP like Forspoken, regardless of its development pedigree, could be crowded out.
Despite the delay, Forspoken’s creators have promised that further details on the game will be revealed soon.
“We would like to thank you for your continued support and patience on this journey,” explains the game’s official Twitter account. “Your excitement for the game inspires us every day and we cannot wait to share more about Forspoken with you later this summer”.
An update on #Forspoken. pic.twitter.com/sRLvXX2kjS
— Forspoken (@Forspoken) July 6, 2022
Originally titled Project Athia, Forspoken follows Frey Holland, a woman from modern-day New York City who, along with her cat, Homer, is transported to the magical world of Athia. She discovers that she is immune to a magical, cursed storm called The Break which has been killing Athia’s inhabitants, and must use a variety of abilities to try and get herself back home.
It stars Charlies Angels’ Ella Balinska as Frey, and is co-written by Gary Whitta, who scripted Telltale’s The Walking Dead, and the story for Star Wars: Rogue One, and creator of the Uncharted series Amy Hennig.