Time is on Gaming's Side

Delays Galore in Video Gaming


Gears of War 3 gets pushed back to Holiday 2011


I'm a Gears of Waraholic (dunno if that's a word but I made it, so deal with it) but just in case you hadn't heard, the premier title on the XBOX 360 is getting pushed back from April to November. The news came as a bit of a shock to me because according to the reports, it was Microsoft's decision to delay the game and not Gears developer EPIC. The reason? Microsoft claims it wants to hold Gears of War 3 to make it the must have title for the holiday 2011 season. Usually when a game gets delayed it's because the developer needs more time to polish their game but this call came from the suits way up top. Ouch Microsoft. Regardless, this kind of stuff happens all the time in the gaming industry, and while it hurts to not have the game you've been anticipating for so long sooner, it's ALWAYS better for a game to go through a longer development cycle.

The Sleeping Giant of Holiday 2010

The Holiday season is to gaming what Summer Movies are to Hollywood. The bigger titles in the gaming world tend to release around the October/November period, so that mommies and daddies nationwide can wait in line for 5 hours on black Friday and cap their credit limits on these new titles. Last year, there were plenty of games suddenly delaying, ultimately clearing way for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. This rash of delayed games included hits like Bioshock 2 and Final Fantasy 13, simply because developers felt they wouldn't match the competition. A lot of games get delayed, but when you look at the big picture...it's worth it. Developers can spend that extra time cleaning out bugs, polishing their graphics, tweaking gameplay and control mechanics, etc. Epic Games design director Cliff "Cliffy B" Blezinski put it perfectly when it comes to a delayed video game -- "A "delayed" game is only "late" until it ships. A bad game is shit forever." Amen Cliffy. When I hear about a delay, I say it's worth the wait. A shitty video game does last forever, and may even damage your company's reputation. I mean, just look at Starcraft II. 10 years for that game to come out and I think people are pretty happy with the end result.

Hey guys, should we go out and I dunno, save someone?

Gears of War 3 wasn't the only game delayed. The highly anticipated PS3/PC title "DC Universe Online" was also pushed back, this time from November to Spring 2011. It just drives the point home that no one is safe from the inevitable problems that come with gaming development. Heck, even the high and mighty Nintendo pushes its high key games like Zelda and Metroid back. There is one thing that has me scratching my head with this Gears of War 3 delay. Companies usually have that one key title to push for their console during the holiday season. While the new Call of Duty game 'Black Ops' IS coming out this November, it's a multiplatform game, and not an exclusive title like say Gears or Uncharted. So I'm wondering what title Microsoft lost for its holiday 2011 season before it slated Gears of War 3 in? Think about it.

Will Black Ops be this holiday's Modern Warfare 2?

Anywho, just remember that sometimes things are worth the wait, especially when it comes to video games.