Nintendo delivers the saddest news I've heard since Animal Crossing's updates ceased - the long-awaited Fantasy Life sequel was delayed again

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Wake me up when it finally releases

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time trailer screenshot showing a a cyan ghost-like female figure floating as light glows behind her, her expression sorrowful or worried
(Image credit: (Image credit: Level-5 Comcept))

It's a sad time for many Nintendo Switch stans, even sadder perhaps than the end of Animal Crossing: New Horizons' updates - Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is no longer releasing this October.

In a disappointing new announcement, Nintendo reveals that its hotly anticipated Fantasy Life sequel is no longer launching as planned this fall. The follow-up to the iconic 3DS classic, one of my own personal favorite RPG gems, was originally set to drop sometime in 2023. Following an initial delay, Fantasy Life i's release date was then postponed to a more precise period - October 10, 2024.

Until now, that is, as Nintendo reports another delay. "We regret to announce that the planned release of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time for Nintendo Switch on October 10th, 2024 has been delayed," the company writes. "More information about the new release date will be announced in the future. Thank you for your patience." No further details are provided by Nintendo here, but it feels likely the game won't land this year.

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A lengthy decade has passed since the original Fantasy Life's global release, when it made waves among 3DS players thanks to its unique class system and charming gameplay. I've personally been waiting ever since the Switch first came to fruition for some sort of sequel, but it looks like I'll just have to pour another hundred hours into my 2014 copy for now. I'm not alone, either - comments underneath Nintendo's delay announcement echo as much.

"I've never been this hurt by a tweet before," reads one very relatable response. "Devastated," writes another fan. Others speculate that developer Level-5 chose to delay Fantasy Life i to avoid the slew of October's other big releases, such as Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the Silent Hill 2 remake: "Bros saw 40 games releasing in October and dipped." Regardless of the reason behind this second delay, I'll be (impatiently) waiting once more.

Check out our roundup of new games coming this year and beyond for more.

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.