PlayStation’s recent State of Play showcases have been stacked with smaller titles, and today’s presentation was no different. While there were appearances from some triple-a games, like the upcoming PS5 shooterDeathloop,the show spent most of its time highlighting smaller projects.Sifuis one such project, though the action-packed trailer revealed during theJuly State of Playpresentation did include some unfortunate news.
While it was originally slated for 2021,Sifu’s release windowhas been moved to “early 2022” according to the trailer released today. As with most release windows, it’s pretty vague, though it likely won’t be as massive of a shift as other recent games have been experienced. While nothing has been confirmed, early 2022 likely means the first quarter or so of the year, which would land somewhere between January to April, assuming it doesn’t get pushed further.
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It’s admittedly disappointing to see the project get pushed back, but delays are never a bad thing. The extra time spent in the oven will likely mean a more polished product when it does finally release, and that’s ultimately great for players. In a tweet released after the trailer, developer Sloclap clarified that, in order to release the game this year, it would be necessary to subject the team to a crunch period or sacrifice the quality of the game, neither of which was considered a good option.
It’s not all bad news, though. The new trailer gave fans an excellent look atSifugameplayand mechanics. Specifically, the trailer features a heavy emphasis on how the character ages, which happens each time they’re defeated. It’s not entirely clear how aging will affect the experience, though it’s the first time players have seen it in action. It might change the abilities that players can use, but fans will have to wait to find out more.
Sifuhas been one of the smaller, darling projects ofrecent State of Play presentations, being heavily featured alongside even some of PlayStation’s biggest titles. There’s a fair bit of excitement around the project at this point, which is always a good sign when it comes to games of this scope.
That excitement meansSifu’s delay will sting a bit, though Sloclap does make some excellent points about why a delay is necessary. Video game industry crunch has been a problem for a long time, and sacrificing quality is never a good thing. The extra wait time is unfortunate, but it should also mean the wait was worth it.
Sifuwill release in early 2022 for PC, PS4, and PS5.
