Square Enix has a very busy calendar for 2022 so far. In March,Babylon’s FallandStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originmake their debut, adding a couple notable RPGs to the company’s library, among other games. After that,Chrono Crosswill get a re-release in April. On top of all that, Square Enix’s new IPForspokenwill release in May.Forspokenseems like something of an odd man out compared to these other games, however, since Square Enix has been fairly quiet about the game for a little while now. If one leaker is to be believed, that could be becauseForspokenis getting delayed.
Known gaming leaker AccountNGT recently claimed on Twitter thatForspokenwill be delayed, in spite of its May 24 release date. Delays have become increasingly common in the game industry, so aForspokendelay is entirely plausible, but unlike other delays, this one may be particularly double-edged. Like any other game, a longer wait forForspokenwould mean more development time, which is bound to result in a better game in the end. However, a significant delay would meanForspokenloses a good launch window and risks rubbing shoulders with many other major game releases planned for 2022.
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The Impact of a Forspoken Delay
IfForspoken’s development under Luminous Productions isn’t going perfectly smoothly at the moment, then there’s definitely a good argument to be made for delaying the game. Postponing the game’s release by a few months would give Luminous time tofinishForspokenat a manageable pace, rather than resorting to crunch in order to finish the game. Crunch is never healthy for game developers, and it can often be unhealthy for games too, since major flaws can get overlooked during rushed development. In order forForspokento make a good first impression, it deserves plenty of development time.
On the other hand, delayingForspokenout of May would be a serious loss. Unlike many other months in 2022, May is pretty quiet. To current knowledge, there aren’t anyother major PS5 exclusivesslated for a May release, nor do any major PlayStation competitors like Nintendo plan to release a cornerstone game in May 2022. That creates a wonderful opportunity forForspokento steal the show throughout May, getting tons of publicity ahead of release and the full attention of fans in the days after its release. It’d be a shame ifForspokenlost such an excellent chance to make a name for itself upon release.
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The Importance of Forspoken’s Debut
The possible loss of the May release is particularly significant becauseForspokenis a new IP that Square Enix would probably like to turn into a franchise. The stronger the game’s release is, the better, but it’ll be much harder to giveForspokena strong release if it has to compete with late 2022’s big releases. Depending on how longForspokengets pushed back, it might have to compete with the likes ofStarfield, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2,orPokemon ScarletandViolet.Square Enix is a strong company, butForspokenwould undoubtedly be better off dodging games like these, rather than trying to wrestle with them for publicity and sales.
For now,Forspokenfans can hold onto hopethat the game won’t get delayed. With so little time left before the game releases, a delay is fairly unlikely; until Luminous and Square Enix confirm the delay, it’ll remain a rumor. The silence around the game could just be Luminous keeping its head down and focusing on development, rather than an omen of delay. Hopefully all is going well forForspoken.The magical new action RPG has a lot of potential, and it deserves a strong launch that places it on Square Enix’s long list of acclaimed RPGs.
Forspokenreleases June 05, 2025 for PC and PS5.
