Guilty Gear Strive delayed to June

Guilty Gear Strive has been delayed from its planned April 9 launch to June 11, Arc System Works has announced.

The latest entry in the long-running 2D fighting series Guilty Gear recently underwent an open beta test, and apparently, some of the feedback prompted ArcSys to take a step back and re-evaluate certain elements of the game. Specifically, the online lobbies are once again proving unpopular with the player base.

"Since we have received valuable feedback after the recent open beta test, we would like to make the most of this opportunity to provide the best game possible," the developers said in a Twitter post on Wednesday. "We need extra time to polish some aspects of the game, such as online lobbies, and the server's stability."

ArcSys first revamped Guilty Gear Strive's lobbies after the beta from last year, but players didn't just want the lobbies revamped; they wanted them dead and gone, replaced with something entirely different. Sadly for them, players returning to the more recent beta found that the dreaded online lobbies were still around.

See, instead of a traditional menu lobby, Guilty Gear Strive throws players into a 2D sidescrolling mini-game where you can fight or chat with other folks while you're waiting for a match. I haven't had to wait in the lobby myself, so I can't attest to its functionality, but I will admit it looks a tad crowded in there. Furthermore, the pixel-based graphics might be jarring to some when compared to the game's anime art style.

Thankfully, ArcSys says the extra time afforded by the delay will allow the developers to work on the online lobbies and, hopefully, come up with something that players don't hate so much. The studio also says it's working on addressing server issues some players experienced during the beta.

OPM went in-depth on how Arc System Works is pushing for the next evolution of its beloved fighting franchise with Guilty Gear Strive.