November’s video game release schedule has become less crowded, as Ubisoft has announced that Watch Dogs, its great-looking sandbox game, has been delayed until Spring 2014. This news comes one month prior to the title’s expected release date, which was set to complement the launches of both Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One.
Below, you’ll find a statement from the game’s developers:
Our ambition from the start with Watch_Dogs has been to deliver something that embodies what we wanted to see in the next-generation of gaming. It is with this in mind that we’ve made the tough decision to delay the release until Spring 2014.
We know a lot of you are probably wondering ‘why now?’ We struggled with whether we would delay the game. But from the beginning, we have adopted the attitude that we will not compromise on quality. As we got closer to release, as all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place in our last push before completion, it became clear to us that we needed to take the extra time to polish and fine tune every detail so we can deliver a truly memorable and exceptional experience.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you. We thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the way you respond on the web, at events, press conferences and during other opportunities we have to interact. Your passion is what drives us.
We can’t wait to see you in Chicago next Spring. We are confident you’ll love this game as much as we love working on it.
While this is certainly a disappointing development, the reasoning behind the delay is understandable. Quality is key, and it’s commendable that Ubisoft decided to focus on just that. As such, I won’t mind having to wait, even though I was looking forward to playing Watch Dogs in mid-November.
Tell us, are you upset about the delay, or are you alright with it? Let us know in the comments below.