It’s been another hectic year for the gaming industry, with more delays, layoffs, and disruptions for developers and publishers alike. Whether it was unexpected issues, the goal of polishing a game as much as possible, or making the decision to move it to give it better breathing room, we’ve seen a number of delays for games across the board. We’ve rounded up every Xbox game that was delayed out of 2024 so far, and while the last bit of the year is by no means empty (Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is fast approaching), it’s clear that the 2024 gaming landscape as a whole looks very different now than it did at the start of the year. On that note, it looks as though February 2025 will be 2024’s holiday period, Round Two. Avowed was delayed from fall 2024 “to give players’ backlogs some breathing room” as there are “so many games coming.” However, breathing room might be in short supply, as with all the other delays we’ve had since then, Avowed’s February 18 release date will put it in the same week as Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Civilization VII, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and the same month as Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. This November will also feel a little empty without Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as its delay will mark the first time a mainline Assassin’s Creed game has launched for Xbox outside of that October/November/December window since, well, ever. Here are all the upcoming Game Pass games and major releases which have been delayed out of 2024 — so far. There could be plenty more before the year is out, and we’ll be sure to update as and when. In the meantime, you can check out the list below!Game Pass delaysAvowedInitial release window: Fall 2024New release date: February 18, 2025This was a biggie. Avowed was one of the most-anticipated Xbox exclusives of 2024 and set for a fall launch, until it was delayed into 2025. When the Xbox team made the announcement, they explained that Avowed was moved to allow it some “breathing room” since so many games were coming out around the same time. It’s not too long a delay, however, and “breathing room” at least sounds as though it’s not being delayed because of some last-minute major issue. We now have an actual date, too, instead of a vague fall 2024 window. We’re excited to play this one when it does arrive, and in the meantime, we’ve rounded up everything we know about Avowed.The AltersInitial release window: Q4 2024New release window: Q1 2025 Sci-fi survival adventure game The Alters was initially down for a day-one Game Pass launch later this year, but was delayed to early 2025 with 11 Bit Studios president Przemysław Marszał explaining that the team wanted more time to finish the game with the quality they expected.Football Manager 25Initial release window: November 26, 2024New release window: March 2025This was another more recent delay, as Sports Interactive and Sega’s management sim Football Manager 25 had been down for a November launch before being delayed to next March. The game had apparently already been pushed back by a month, but Sports Interactive explained that the extra time wasn’t enough to meet their quality standards and player expectations, adding that it has been a “difficult development cycle for the studio” but that this extra time is needed “to deliver a game that we can all be proud of.” When Football Manager arrives in March, there will be two versions: Football Manager 25 for PC and Football Manager 25 Console for Xbox and PC.ReplacedInitial release window: 2024New release window: 2025 This is the third delay for 2.5D platformer Replaced, which was moved from its first 2022 release window to 2023, then to its last release window of 2024, before being pushed back once again to 2025. As such, it featured in our last round-up of everything delayed out of 2023, where at the time, developer Sad Cat wanted more time to “make every aspect of it the best it can be” while discussing the difficulties of development. Before that, it was delayed to 2023 due to the war in Ukraine. The latest delay, the Sad Cat Studios team explains, is again to allow for “more time to ensure we meet the high standards we’ve set for ourselves and to meet the expectations of our fans,” as the “initial release date was optimistic” with Replaced’s development proving “quite a unique challenge.”Cities: Skylines II (Console)Initial release window: 2024New release date: UnknownThis is another familiar one. Cities: Skylines II (Windows) is out already, but the Xbox Series X|S version has been pushed back several times, from last October to this spring, then indefinitely but with a vague hope of this October, then entirely indefinitely, since we don’t yet have a new release window. The main issues seem to be around optimizing the game for a console release and achieving the level of stability and performance the team are aiming for. TowerborneInitial release window: 2024New release window : 2025This is an interesting one. Towerborne was one of the upcoming Xbox exclusives down to launch this year, but announced some big changes with its new release plan. Along with pushing the game back to 2025, the “phased” release plan includes Steam Early Access, then Xbox Game Preview, then a full free-to-play launch in 2025. Towerborne is now out in Early Access on Steam and is aiming for an Xbox Game Preview launch in early 2025, but it’s still early days, so we don’t have a date for the full launch. The devs explained the delay, saying, “With Early Access, the studio can continue that tradition of building a game with consistent input from players invested in Towerborne‘s journey from the start. As a result, Xbox, PC, and Xbox Game Pass players will immediately feel the benefit of the refinement Towerborne will undergo during the Early Access period and beyond.”Delayed releasesKingdom Come: Deliverance IIInitial release window: 2024New release date: February 11, 2025It wasn’t too many months after Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 was announced with a 2024 release window that it was delayed to early 2025, as the devs needed “a tiny bit more time” on the game. It looks incredible, however — we’ve already outlined five things we can’t wait for with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and luckily we don’t have to wait too long to find out what medieval hijinks Henry’s up to in the sequel.Assassin’s Creed ShadowsInitial release date: November 15, 2024New release date: February 14, 2025There had been a fair bit of speculation already about Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and not long after hearing that Assassin’s Creed games could have longer development cycles as Shadows hit the “right balance”, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed game set in feudal Japan was officially delayed to February 2025. Ubisoft explained that “This is an ambitious addition to the franchise, a rich experience that can be lived through the eyes of two unique protagonists — but we realize we need more time to polish and refine the experience, pushing further some of our key features.” The devs added that preorders will be refunded and “all future preorders will be granted the first expansion for free.” We’ve got more info on our round-up of everything we know about Assassin’s Creed Shadows.Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings GameInitial release window: 2024New release date: March 25, 2025Weta Workshop’s LOTR life-sim Tales of the Shire rapidly followed up the news of its delay into early 2025 with a new release date of March 25, 2025. At the time, Weta Workshop explained that the delay was to ensure it delivers the “vision” of a new Hobbit moving “into Bywater for the very first time.” Very understandable, since after all the action LOTR games we’ve seen (and all the Gollum shenanigans) it’s a crime we haven’t had much of a cozy-focused Lord of the Rings game yet. Lost Records: Bloom & RageInitial release window: Late 2024New release window: February 18, 2025Don’t Nod, the developer behind the original Life is Strange games, delayed its new narrative adventure game Lost Records: Bloom & Rage to avoid clashing with the Life is Strange sequel, Double Exposure. “We know that many of our fans are eagerly awaiting this game, just as they are the recently announced next installment of Life is Strange. Let’s give both titles the space they need to be enjoyed by our players within the large community we have built. We firmly believe that the wait for Bloom & Rage will be worth it. We look forward to sharing this new adventure, which we hope will become another memorable chapter in the Don’t Nod universe,” the devs explained.Black Myth: WukongInitial release window: August 20, 2024New release window: Unknown This was a blow for the Xbox community, as while Black Myth: Wukong launched in August for PS5 and PC, the Xbox Series X|S version was delayed indefinitely. At the time, the devs explained that they were still optimizing the Xbox Series X|S version and bringing it up to their quality standards, but a later report suggested that Black Myth: Wukong for Xbox was delayed due to a Sony exclusivity deal.Little Nightmares 3Initial release window: 2024New release window: 2025Supermassive Games and Bandai Namco delayed Little Nightmares 3 earlier this year, saying more time was needed to “give the game the care and love it deserves,” as “quality is a top priority” for the team. We don’t yet have a new release date, but Little Nightmares 3 will now arrive sometime in 2025.It’s a fair shift around for some of the upcoming Xbox exclusives, but we’ve still got some major games coming up, including the new Indy game — check out everything we know about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for more info!
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