The first delay from the absolute bloodbath that is September 2026 has happened, with first-person soulslike Valor Mortis being pushed back 19 days.
If you have been paying attention to the upcoming 2026's game releases schedule you'll have no doubt noticed that September is an absolute battle royale of titles. Since GTA 6 is pegged to come out in November everyone is keen to avoid its inevitably massive launch, and as such November currently has six other games announced. But as a result, September and October are bursting with releases, but September 24 specifically is the biggest drop zone – the tilted towers of 2026, if you will.
Control Resonant, Valor Mortis, Harvest Moon: Echoes of Teradea, Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, and Silent Hill: Townfall were all set to release on one day, and then a day later we have Onimusha: Way of the Sword. However, we have our first game to move out the way in this massive game of chicken.
Speaking to Game File, Blake Rochkind, head of publisher Lyrical Games reveals Valor Mortis will now be launching on October 13. The game's September 24th release was announced during Sunday's Xbox Showcase, but Rochkind says that by the time that trailer aired, the studio knew it was no longer the release date.
"When we picked September 24th, it looked like a very, very clear date," Rochkind explains, but "very quickly it became not such a clear date." When the date was first set in place "this was before Sony State of Play, before Xbox Showcase, before Nintendo Direct, before Summer Games Fest."
However, as soon as State of Play – the first major show of Summer Game Fest season – aired, it became clear that a delay had to happen, as Rochkind explains, "As soon as Control [Resonant] announced September 24th, we knew we were moving the date." He adds, "Candidly, I think Control looks like it might be a Game of the Year contender"
That same showcase would also reveal Silent Hill: Townfall and Onimusha: Way of the Sword's dates. And while the team had "saw rumours" of Onimusha's date, Rochkind says "I think maybe if there was a world where if it was just Onimusha, maybe we wouldn’t be moving the date"
And while Rochkind doesn't want to "act like we're super-duper scrappy," following the success of the Ghostrunner games, "I said to the team today that I have every faith that Valor Mortis, if given the right space to breathe, will be your hit game, relative to what we need."
