It looks like fans of RTS game series The Settlers are going to have to wait – again – for Ubisoft’s latest reboot to arrive. The Settlers, which was scheduled to launch March 17 after a delay announced back in 2020, is being delayed again. The delay seems to be due to negative feedback collected after the recent closed beta test.
“The recent closed beta was a great opportunity for all participating players to share valuable feedback regarding the current state of the game, and we’d like to thank you for your involvement,” The Settlers team writes in a statement posted to Twitter. “As we went through this feedback, it became clear to our team that the quality wasn’t yet in line with the team’s vision. Therefore, we took the decision to postpone the launch of the game to a later date.”
That’s sure to disappoint fans who’ve been waiting the past couple of years for a new version of the classic strategy game, but for players who were able to try the closed beta, it’s also likely a relief. As strategy editor Joe Robinson notes in his hands-on impressions of The Settlers’ closed beta, the economic model this time out “feels very simplistic,” particularly compared to Ubisoft’s other economic strategy game series, Anno.
“There’s no need to replicate the intricacies of a full-blown economic sim,” Joe writes. “But what is there [in The Settlers] doesn’t give way to any meaningful interactions.”
Hello dear “The Settlers” fans, we would like to share an important update with you. pic.twitter.com/zxEXZS2pme
— The Settlers (@TheSettlersEN) March 3, 2022
It’s not clear whether that’s the sentiment driving Ubisoft’s decision to delay The Settlers again, and the team has not yet announced a new release date.
“The additional time will be used to further improve the game and push quality as our main priority for all our players,” the devs say. “We will keep you updated in due time and give you more details on the next milestones for The Settlers.”
On the official site, commenters appear to be relieved that the team has taken this step, and many have expressed their thanks to the developers for holding off on launch in comments on the news post announcing the delay. Hopefully we’ll know more about the new release window before long.