Polygon starts each year with a list of our most anticipated games that are expected to be released in the next 12 months. Check out our 2020 list on January 1st.
But every year some of these games are delayed.
Here is a selection of games we hoped for in 2019, but which were delayed until 2020. In almost every case, the developer or publisher attributed the delay to the desire for better quality and a serious problem in game development with crunch. We are willing to be patient. We like to consider game delays a bit like the needle of a vaccine shot. Short-term pain, but long-term benefits.
Animal crossing: new horizons
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A new Animal Crossing for Nintendo Switch was first announced in November 2018, with a scheduled release in 2019. During E3, Nintendo announced that the game would be called Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but it was due out on March 20 postponed. 2020. Yoshiaki Koizumi, deputy general manager of Nintendo, said the company wants to make sure the game is the best that it can be.
In New Horizons, a player-created character buys a vacation package from regular Animal Crossing player Tom Nook and arrives on a pretty island. The player then creates a community on the island where he invites friends to settle while trading, using resources, and crafting items.
It seems to have more personalization options than the last game in the series, New Leaf, which appeared on the 3DS in 2012. Players can customize skin tone as well as gender neutral hairstyles.
Doom Eternal
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Doom Eternal was originally released in November 2019 and offered a completely different experience than New Horizons. Back in October, publisher Bethesda and developer ID Software had moved the game to March 20 and promised that it would “meet our demands for speed and polish. “
The game, first announced in 2018, is a sequel to Doom 2016 and takes place on an apocalyptic earth where demons are at large. It appears on Google Stadia, PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One.
Babylon’s case
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PlatinumGames is best known for the Bayonetta series as well as for highly regarded action games like Nier: Automata and Vanquish. The company and publishing partner Square Enix announced Babylon’s case in 2018 with a release window for 2019, but didn’t show us much about the game.
Babylon’s case was a significant no-show at this year’s E3, but a trailer was released earlier this month that showed Platin’s signature style of high-action combat in an epic setting. It hasn’t been officially confirmed for 2020 yet, but Square Enix promises much more information in the summer, which is likely to mean a big show at E3.
skull bones
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Already in May, Ubisoft announced that the cosmopolitan pirate adventure Skull & Bones will only come out in spring 2020. This was the second delay for the combat adventure on the high seas after its first appearance at E3 in 2017.
Skull & Bones is known to everyone who played Ubisoft’s ship-to-ship combat stages in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (2013). Players control warships and galleons by taking advantage of the wind and firing the broadsides. And yes, it will include multiplayer battles called “Hunting Grounds”.
Ubisoft said the game is a “new IP” that takes time to “develop creative visions”. It will be released on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One.
Atomic Heart
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In 2018, when the Moscow developer Mundfish released its first full trailer for Atomic Heart, first-person shooter fans became aware of it.
The game takes place in a Soviet Union with alternative universes in the 1960s and 1970s and has a fun BioShock / Fallout / Metro enemy image that combines undead enemies, clown robots and a tentacle creature. It was supposed to come out in 2018 and later postponed to 2019.
In January, Mundfush released a 10-minute gameplay demo. The game appears on PlayStation 4. Windows PC and Xbox One. According to the Steam site, the release date is “TBA”, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed for 2020.
Spelunky 2
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In August, Spelunky 2 developer Derek Yu brought the bad news that the highly anticipated Spelunky 2 had been delayed. Yu did not commit to a 2020 release date, but wrote on Twitter: “Development is still going well and we’re not far from the goal, but the game’s density and level of detail require more time.”
Spelunky 2 is the sequel to Spelunky from 2011, in which players navigate through a number of random locations, including temples, caves, and tombs. Spelunky is pretty and visually vibrant and one of the best games of the past decade. It appears on PlayStation 4 and Windows PCs.
dreams
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Media Molecules Game-Building-Tool / Story-Game Dreams was first shown as a demo in 2013. An official announcement came two years later. It has been repeatedly delayed since 2016. In April of this year, a limited version of the game was released for early access and some remarkable user-created stories were published.
Dreams is similar to Media Molecule’s popular LittleBigPlanet range. It’s just as much about creating as it is about playing. In addition to a single player campaign, Dreams offers an extensive suite of level creation tools for aspiring game developers. While the LittleBigPlanet games were limited to a 2.5D perspective with side scrolling, Dreams is played in 3D on PlayStation 4, which increases the complexity of the levels created by players. The full version is scheduled for February 14th.
Biomutant
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THQ Nordics Biomutant was announced for release next year in 2017 and is an open-world action game for third parties. It shows a multitude of strange creatures who are familiar with martial arts. It is being developed by Experiment 101 from Stockholm. This studio was founded by the former creative director of Avalanche Studios, Stefan Ljungqvist, who is best known for the games by Just Cause.
Biomutant was scheduled for release in 2019, but is expected to be released next year. This emerges from a current financial report of the publisher’s parent company.
sable
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When the indie studio Shedworks Sable presented at the E3 2018 PC Gaming Show, the general response was positive. The first trailer of the game looked like a smart comic with an appealing color palette and clean lines.
The players take on the role of a young researcher named Sable, who is on an alien planet. The landscape is a pretty, bare desert with only a few structures that shape the landscape. Originally planned for 2019, it was pushed back at the beginning of this year and should now appear in 2020.
Psychonauts 2
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Announced in 2015, Psychonauts 2 was originally scheduled for 2018 and should be expected later in 2019. Then developer Double Fine Productions announced another delay, this time until 2020.
“We know that waiting a little longer is always disappointing, but we also know that you are an amazing, supportive bunch who . want the game to be as good as possible,” the company said in a statement.
The colorful sequel to the 2005 cult favorite, Psychonauts 2, will again take responsibility for the kid character Raz, who uses psychic powers to delve into the thoughts of others. It will be an Xbox Game Pass title, but it will also be available for Windows PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Watch Polygon’s big preview of the most anticipated 2020 games that will be available soon.
