New Avengers game delayed until September

Crystal Dynamics announced on Tuesday morning that it is delaying its Marvel’s Avengers video game. The game was originally set to come out on May 15, but will now not be released until Sept. 4.

In the studio’s statement on the delay, it explains that the new release date will give the development team more time to bring together its vision of the game.

“We committed to delivering an original story-driven campaign, engaging co-op, and compelling content for years to come,” the statement from Crystal Dynamics says. “To that end, we will spend this additional development time focusing on fine tuning and polishing the game to the high standards our fans expect and deserve.”

The game’s delay doesn’t come as a large surprise, especially given the reception to its public showings so far. After the game’s reveal trailer at E3 2019, it was immediately met with backlash from fans over the character designs of some of Marvel’s most iconic superheroes. While the characters were intended to stay far away from their instantly recognizable Marvel Cinematic Universe counterparts, they instead fell into a strange uncanny valley that left them looking generic. When players began to get their hands on the game in small behind-closed-doors demos, the reactions to the gameplay were similarly lukewarm.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the only delay that Square Enix, the game’s publisher, announced on Tuesday morning. The Japanese company also announced the delay of the long-anticipated Final Fantasy 7 Remake on the same day.