The release of Wasteland 3, the highly anticipated sequel to 2014's Wasteland 2, has been pushed back just over three months due to coronavirus-related delays. InXile took to Twitter to announce the push from May to August, signed by studio head Brian Fargo
We have an important update on Wasteland 3’s release date. pic.twitter.com/hiX1CygcUkMarch 31, 2020
In the statement, Fargo points out that the studio recently moved to a work-from-home environment in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19, as has most companies in affected countries. That move, however, has caused "logistical challenges" to crop up that are affecting the team's work on "Beta feedback and suggestions, optimization, [and] polishing and refinements."
As we previously reported, Microsoft's acquisition of InXile appeared to have little impact on the game's trajectory, and from the statement above the company is helping "ensure the game launches in the best possible circumstances", but even Microsoft can't stop this delay from happening. Microsoft did, however, help InXile get the kind of funds necessary to make what will certainly be a visually stunning game that's set in the freezing wastelands of post-apocalyptic Colorado, along with a completely redesigned UI.
Wasteland 3 was technically already delayed once, from Winter 2019 to May 19 of this year, but now it's set to release later in the summer, on August 28. Considering the sequel will have all the roleplaying elements you'd expect from a Wasteland title, plus a co-op experience InXile is hoping will be "awesome", a delay isn't all that surprising, although it certainly is a bit of a bummer.
Delays and isolation aside, here's the many ways the video game community is helping coronavirus relief efforts.
