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Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

So far this year we've been hit with numerous delays of high-profile titles. We've taken a look at the schedule to see what game is in danger of becoming the latest casualty of the delay bug.

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Battlefield: Hardline is the latest casualty of the 2015 bug as EA pushed back the release of their big holiday action game to an unspecified date next year.

We've seen games like Batman: Arkham Knight, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Dying Light, Quantum Break, and The Order: 1886 get delayed to 2015. And even if the end of 2014 has a lot of strong titles, we can't help think of what could have been the greatest gaming holiday of all time.

So, we thought we'd be a bit distasteful and list a few games that may be next on the chopping block destined for a move to 2015. We then assigned a completely unscientific and highly subjective percentage sum to indicate the risk of a delay (according to us). Fingers crossed none of these will fall victim to a delay, but here goes.

Far Cry 4 - November 18 - Risk: 15%

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Could Far Cry 4 be "the next Watch Dogs"? It's hard to tell. On the one hand it features a proven formula, on the other hand it's an ambitious game and those are the ones that tend to slip. Our main concern here is the short lead up to release. The demo we played at E3 was very brief and really didn't give us any idea of just where the game is in terms of development.

Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

Dragon Age: Inquisition - November 18 - Risk: 10%

Bioware recently pushed back the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition by a month for extra polish. In all honesty the move could have been a knock on effect of the delay of Battlefield: Hardline where EA felt they needed a big release later in the lucrative holiday season. Then again, pushing release dates is seldom something you do if all is well. We highly doubt this one will slip further, but we won't count our chickens until they're hatched.

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Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel - October 17 - Risk: 10%

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is meant to bridge the gap between Borderlands 2 and the original Borderlands. This is clearly the last holiday season to release a game for PS3 and Xbox 360, but we could see the release pushed back in order to add PS4 and Xbox One versions.

Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

Evolve - October 21 - Risk: 10%

One of the most anticipated titles of 2014 is without a doubt Turtle Rock's asymmetric multiplayer treat, Evolve. With beta details still being held back it does cause a little concern seeing as we'd really like for the servers and infrastructure to be properly tested prior to launch. We have no doubt that Turtle Rock are ready in terms of the content - 12 maps, 3 monsters and 12 hunters - but there's still the matter of ensuring a smooth online experience.

Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

Destiny - September 9 - Risk: 5%

To be perfectly honest the beta has eased our fears of a delay. The game performs remarkably well, but Destiny is highly ambitious and we could see it slip from its September launch window in order to ensure a smooth start.

Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

Little Big Planet 3 - November - Risk: 10%

There is a lot hanging on Little Big Planet 3 this autumn as one of a chosen few big first-party releases on PS4. Sumo Digital are known for on time deliveries, but this is likely their biggest project to date and even with the backing of Sony's Xdev department we could see this one slip.

Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

Assassin's Creed: Unity - 28 October - Risk: 5%

Ubisoft have managed to bring out their main series Assassin's Creed titles with immacualte precision at the end of October or beginning of November, for the last five years running, and there is really no reason to think they would mess things up this time. The only real potential for trouble is the fact that they are making a lot of changes and moves as a result of the new-gen only approach.

Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor - October 7 - Risk: 10%

We really don't have any indication that Shadow of Mordor is going to be delayed, but the sheer ambition of the Nemesis system is something that we could see trip up its release. But perhaps if a delay is coming it's more likely a short one that will put it closer in proximity to the third Hobbit movie's release. (Update: It has just been announced that Shadow of Mordor is, in fact, releasing a week earlier than planned!)

Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

The Elder Scrolls Online PS4/Xbox One - December - Risk: 60%

We really haven't heard much since it was said the release of the new-gen version was pushed back six months or so from its intended release in June. While it could still appear in December, we think it's likely that focus for now remains on the PC version. With virtually zero PR and no word on a console beta, we cannot help but think this one is heading into 2015.

Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

Sunset Overdrive - 28 October - Risk: 5%

Insomniac Games' ambitious colour explosion of a shooter looks locked down for its October release. But sometimes in the lead-in to a big release something happens that changes things. It's Insomniac's first release on new-gen after an extremely productive generation on PS3 and Xbox 360, and anytime you shift lead platform it creates an element of risk. That said, what we've tried of the game felt solid at E3.

Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - Q4 - Risk: 10%

Nintendo has delayed an unusual amount of games during the Wii U era and it was already a disappointment when Super Smash Bros. for Wii U was pencilled in for a Q4 release. It is Nintendo's big release on Wii U so it would take a small disaster to push it into 2015, but we could certainly see a release in December in Japan followed by a Western release in January/February if more time is needed. At some point Sakurai has to stop adding more content if this is ever to come out.

Next Stop 2015: What's the next big delay?

Let's hope they all manage to stay on schedule... but we've reached a point where delays are so commonplace, we're almost surprised when a high-profile release sticks with its original release date from announcement to release.

Please note: Some companies - like Blizzard are naturally excluded from a list like this as their games come out "when done". And we've only considered games with their release date specified for 2014 in this highly speculative piece.



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