So close, yet so far.
Prison Architect 2 is delayed yet again, but this time, it could be for good. We've seen the upcoming management game delayed before—due to "new technical challenges" that warranted developers spending more time on stability testing. However, this time, the issue's more pronounced.
"Our continuous internal reviews and beta test groups have highlighted areas that we need to focus on more, mainly performance and content, which we need to address before launch to ensure that you, the players, get a good experience in the game," the Prison Architect 2 team says in a blog post. "We need to raise the quality a bit more to meet the standards we'd like to achieve with this sequel."
However, Paradox has also confirmed that it cannot "commit to a new release date" as it looks like the publisher and developer Kokku is going back to the drawing board for the time being: "Over the next few months, we will focus on improving the game and building a more robust release timeline. This also means we will be limiting our communication with you all until we have a timeline we feel comfortable with."
It makes sense for Paradox to be a bit wary of releasing an unfinished or buggy game, seeing how badly Cities: Skylines 2 was received by players, as many reported being plagued by performance issues. Developer Colossal Order even warned players ahead of the game's launch that it hadn't met its own benchmark tests. This poor start haunted Cities: Skylines 2 well after its release, as even the first post-launch DLC Beach Properties managed to enrage players.
"We're looking forward to showing you all the new ideas brought into it: the switch to 3D, multi-floors, and the new behaviour system all bring a new dimension to the game and open new gameplay possibilities for the players," the Prison Architect 2 team says. "However, we want to make sure the game lives up to the franchise’s legacy and is released in a state that satisfies both you, our players, and the Prison Architect 2 teams at Kokku and Paradox Interactive."
Unfortunately, it's unclear how long it will take the new developers Kokku to get everything in order. "With this indefinite delay, preorders on all platforms will be refunded, and the preorder items will be added to the base game," the Prison Architect 2 team says. An indefinite delay is never great, but it's especially worrying given Paradox's recent trend of digging early graves for its games.
A few months ago, developers behind The Sims competitor Life By You had "the rug pulled" from under them after Paradox announced that the game would not be released despite being practically finished. Hours after this announcement, news came that Paradox had decided to shut down the 24-person studio responsible for Life By You's development—a fate that Paradox chalked up to a 90% drop in operating profit for Q2.
I really hope that Prison Architect 2 won't follow a similar fate. From what we've seen so far, the sequel could really be something special. The choice to go 3D seems interesting as it means players get a more detailed building system, which I'll always prefer as someone who likes to perfect my layout and builds. And I'd love to see how smarter inmates impact the already chaotic stories. Taking time to improve the game and ensure the final output is of the highest quality possible isn't a bad thing, but these delays and changes in developers aren't exactly reassuring me that history's not repeating itself.
