Kameo delayed to unspecified date

UK-based developer Rare has announced that the release of Kameo: Elements of Power, its often-delayed action adventure title for the Xbox, has been pushed back once again. Originally slated to release on January 3, the game's release date is now anybody's guess.

In a message on the developer's official site, Rare told fans that the decision to push the game back was agreed upon mutually with parent company Microsoft Game Studios "after a lot of thought and discussion." The delay will allow Rare to implement "several changes and new features (some minor, some not so minor)," reads the statement. The mention of "not so minor" changes would seem to suggest that this delay will be a lengthy one--hardly atypical of Rare.

An action adventure title set in a colorful fantasy world, Kameo: Elements of Power was originally planned as a GameCube title. A screenshot of the game was placed on the GameCube packaging when the system launched back in 2001. When Microsoft bought out Nintendo's stake in Rare in 2002, the game was moved over to the Xbox. And now, with the delay, there's even chatter that Kameo might be moved to the so-called Xbox 2, which many industry watchers expect will launch in late 2005.

Since Microsoft's acquisition of Rare, the developer has released just one Xbox title: 2003's Grabbed by the Ghoulies. With the delay of Kameo, the next Xbox game on the developer's release list is Conker: Live and Reloaded, currently slated to release in March, barring any delays.