Outward 2 has been delayed to 2027

Last month, Nine Dot Studios set the  Outward 2 early access release date for July 7th following a closed beta that took place towards the end of May. Today, that decision to release Outward 2 into early access next month has been reversed, with Nine Dot Studios now stating that the game will not be ready for release until 2027.

In a post on Steam CEO and Creative Director Guillaume Boucher-Vidal wrote, “Hi everyone, I know that this might seem sudden as not that long ago we released a trailer inviting people to explore Aurai during summer, but the truth is that if we just stick to the plan stubbornly, we’re delivering a product that might not satisfy your expectations. The last thing we want to do is disappoint fans of Outward and there has been a lot of comments stating that they wish for the game to spend more time in development before the launch. The point of a Beta is to listen to feedback, and so we will. Dropping this news is especially painful knowing that some of our most dedicated players actually planned their summer break around the release date. It sucks for you and I personally apologize to everyone affected this way. However, it would be even worse if you ended up playing something over your vacation that you were not even happy with.It’s hard to gauge what is the appropriate degree of stability expected for Early Access.

The best we can do is take a hard, honest look at the game, and at our team, and ask: in a few weeks, will this be good enough to charge money for? Our aim is to have such a stark jump between this Beta and the Early Access launch that we earn the trust of our players. You were there for the first Outward and that’s why we were successful. We want you to be happy to be there again for Outward 2. Thank you to everyone who participated in the Beta and our earlier playtests, who provided feedback, who shared our news, talked with us directly during streams or on Discord. I apologize that we couldn’t give you the game you guys deserve on time. I guess that’s the game development’s equivalent of a defeat scenario: a setback and we come back better prepared.”

Outward 2 Preview – Doubling down on the Outward concept

A few months ago, I went hands on with Outward 2 and said, “Outward 2 is a game that will appeal to those that want an RPG with survival elements, where no quest log tells you what to do, no markers to pinpoint exactly where you are, and where you deal with cold, heat, hunger, and thirst as well as the dangers around you. It is a tough experience but Outward 2 comes across as a game that will reward those who persevere. If it is successful it could also see more studios benefit as Nine Dots expands into publishing, allowing for a more varied game industry at a time when it is needed.”

Source: Steam