According to THQ‘s CEO, Brian Farrell, Death will ride in on August 14. That is brand new launch date for Darksiders II, which just so happens to be one of my most-anticipated games of the year. You will probably recall that the apocalyptic sequel was delayed from its previously-announced June 26 release date, in order to give its development team some extra polishing time.
Companies have been busy analyzing their progress during fiscal year 2011, and THQ is no different. The cash-strapped publisher actually made the above-mentioned announcement during yesterday’s investor call, stating that Darksiders II was delayed as a “demonstration of our commitment to quality.” After spending some time discussing its options with retailers, the company deemed that “mid-August is a more favorable release window.” That makes sense considering the relatively quiet summer release window that we’re steadily approaching. However, Death will have to battle with Sleeping Dogs on that mid-August day.
If you’ve yet to play the original Darksiders, then you owe it to yourself to do so before its sequel arrives. That game has to be one of this generation’s most underrated and overlooked gems. As a result, I sincerely hope that the same fate will not befall its successor, because the fine folks from THQ need a successful release to help right their ailing ship. Thankfully, Darksiders II‘s pre-orders are quintuple that of its predecessor.