Don't Worry, They'll Come Out Eventually...

It is a tragedy in the gaming world when a highly anticipated game, or any game for that matter, is delayed. And yet, it happens so often that there must be an explanation. Well, I thought I would offer my two cents as to why games get delayed, and try to calm the angered masses who won't be getting their BioShock or Splinter Cell on this year.

WHY GAMES GET DELAYED
There is no one absolute reason a game will get delayed. Nine times out of ten, it is completely unique to that game's development. There are several trends among game delays however. Some are quite easy to accept and are actually quite understandable. Others are pretty stupid in reasoning. Let me run down some trends that seem to happen the most...

-A game can get delayed due to the developers not meeting their deadline. It is a common fact in the development of games that there is a hell of a lot of work to be done. Think of the entire process. Someone comes up with the idea, markets it, people start the design element and the story, designers come in to do levels, characters, weapons, and everything else, and then 3D designers come and render that into the video game, that is if the engine is up and running. That is just the design element. Games take a long time to make, and deadlines are pretty much the working standard for developers. It is no surprise that the work can catch up to them more often than not. Remember: most game developers work upwards of 50-80 hours a week. Deadlines can be reset and missed. Back to the actual delay, developers may realize a week before that they are way behind. Moving the game back is the only thing they can do so that the game can continue to be a quality work. That is pretty much the reason for this: quality. Think if a developer rushed the last couple months of development. The story and gameplay could be terrible, the graphics could be shotty, and there would be a ginormous amount of bugs. Setting a later deadline is the only thing a developer can do to maintain quality and therefore get the consumer to buy their product. A great example of this is Starcraft II. Originally planned for release in early 2009, it then got pushed to late 2009 due to all of the developers working on WoW. They just couldn't meet deadlines with the amount of people they had at the time. The game is now scheduled for a release in 2010. Hopefully.

-A reason similar to deadlines but different is ambition. Sometimes goals may change during development. A developer may see the need for some extra levels or a multiplayer component. These plans were not in the original plan, so deadlines and the process can get mixed up a bit. A good way to think of it is that video game companies number one priority is for the consumer to buy their game. By adding a component like this, they feel that more people will buy the game. Which is very likely. Developers may also want to repolish a bit, or do something similar to the movie industry called cutting. This may be the exclusion of levels or weapons. Many developers see the final product and either wish something else was in it or something was not in it. By delaying a game this gives the developer a final period to look over and add or delete things. The problem with this delay comes in quality. Sometimes, a developer will delay the game to add a new component, but still feel rushed, and theirfore do a crappy job with that component. Other times, development companies can take their time to add tons of new features, but in the process make the consumer lose interest or make the game too overwhelming. It takes a balance between the two. BioShock 2 is the prime example of this. 2K Marin wanted to create a quality sequel, and are pumping everything up to the 5th power. The delay comes in the addition of multiplayer. 2K wants to create a multiplayer similar to the Call of Duty and Halo franchises, with customization and a unique flair to it. They had to hire a completely different developer to work on it due to their commitment to a robust singleplayer. Due to their extremely high level of quality, this resulted in a push to 2010.

-A very popular trend is that of marketing and sales. This delay is caused more by the publisher than the developer. As a game is being developed, publishers are paying attention to what other games will be coming out in their game's release window. They will see if these games are similar in genre and target audience, and more importantly if they are an existing successful franchise. Publishers may opt to push a game to a later date in order to avoid competition with a juggernaut game that is sure to sell. They may be concerned that the target audience will go over to that game instead of theirs if the games are similar. More often, they will be concerned about the released games as a whole, and may think that there are many alternatives to buying their game. Other times, it may just be that the publisher feels that the game can sell better at a different date. Either way, competion is a main factor in this decision. This is especially the case for new IPs. A publisher will most certainly be concerned if their new IP is going against a successful franchise. This IP has a much higher chance of not selling at all. Publishers try to weigh the pros and cons of a release window, and judge sales according to that. Bayonetta is a prime example of this. This is a risky new IP that was originally set to release next to Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin's Creed 2. It would not have sold at all if it were put here, so the developer moved it to 2010 to sell better.

WHAT GAMERS SHOULD THINK
Gamers need to realize that development companies always have a good reason to delay a game. It may not seem that way to you the consumer, but it is that way. Think of it logically. Knowing that over half of all games made fail in sales, why would a publisher want to push a game to a later date to delay selling the game if they didn't have a good reason? Development costs tons of money, and marketing for a game for the consumer to even notice the game costs more. Developers want to give you the game. Pushing it is always for a good reason. Sometimes however, publishers and developers like everyone else can make a bad call. Their previous judgment could result in actually hurting sales or reviews of the game. Of course, there is no way to tell this until after the release. For games that get pushed for deadlines, be respectful of the developers. They work tons of hours to give this game to you. If they can't make a deadline, be a little understanding. Now, if they can't make a deadline for three times in a row, then you can be a little pissed. For games that get delayed due to more ambition, think positively. The developer is making the game better, and wants to take the time to get it right. Let them take their time to give you the best game possible. Of course, there is that possibility that they passed over quality for more features, so be mindful of that. For games that get pushed due to sales, remember that they just want you to buy it and enjoy it. Think of it as a possibility to play Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3: ODST fully before going to that new IP. The only reason you should be mad at this is if the call was a stupid call, and the game would have sold well anyway.

DELAYS TO BE OKAY ABOUT
-BioShock II: It pissed me off at first, but I realize that all they want to do is make the best game possible. BioShock was one of the most well made games ever. They want to keep that quality for singleplayer, and they want to introduce that same quality into multiplayer. It is understandable that this ambitious project would take long. I don't want a shotty BioShock experience. Let them take their time. The game will still do phenominal in sales.

-Heavy Rain: Games like these that aren't really games but cinematic experiences always take a long time to make. Delays are just the sacrifice a gamer has to make for a new experience like this. Mirror's Edge was a great new experience, but in the end felt like it was a bit rushed. Can you imagine if it got pushed to make it a bit better? I guarantee a little more time for some quality control would have made it better.

-StarCraft II: First off, this game was going to come out in 2010 anyway. Everyone expected it. Blizzard is a really busy company, and a big part of their staff overlooks World of Warcraft. And why not? That is their best selling game. They really want to make SCII a great game, and one that will become as good and as resounding as the first. Another reason is that they decided to split this game into a game and two expansion packs, so the developers had to work around that. Be thankful for that, though. Instead of one game, you get three now.

DELAYS TO BE PISSED ABOUT
-Dark Void: This game has been in development so long that it has lost a lot of its interest. Initially, Gears of War type vertical cover sounded cool, but now doesn't. Initially flying in a jetpack and stealing UFOs sounded cool, but now doesn't. Dark Void better be 50 hours long, because if it only lasts 8 WITH NO MULTIPLAYER, then this was a gigantic waste of time and money.

-Red Steel 2: This game looked great at E3, and could have been Nintendo's one big seller for Fall 2009. Now that this has been pushed, Wii owners have nothing. This not only hurts the developers of Red Steel 2, it hurts Nintendo as a whole. With all the games coming out in 2009 for Xbox 360 and PS3, many Wii ownes will probably go buy one of those. Not a good choice at all.

-Splinter Cell: Conviction: After being delayed countless times in order to completely revamp the game, Ubisoft shows off the awesomeness of this game at E3. Everyone took away their hate for the numerous delays and said thank you to Ubisoft for making a great kickass experience. And what does Ubisoft do? THEY DELAY IT AGAIN. I'll admit. I was super pissed about this. I wanted this for Christmas. Unfortunately, Ubisoft delayed it to early 2010 saying that they wanted to polish it off a bit more. How much more polish do you need after 4 FRICKIN' YEARS? This was a push so that they could gain more sales. They think sales would have been hurt due to Halo 3: ODST, Modern Warfare 2, and Assassin's Creed 2. For Splinter Cell, a franchise that was one of the best selling franchises on the original Xbox? It would have sold fine. Cheap delay. Be pissed.

So there is our friend, the delay. So next time your favorite game gets delayed to next year, remember, it is for the best. Unless it is a cheap sellout like Splinter Cell. Then you can throw your Wiimotes through the TV.