Confirmed: PS3 Oblivion now "Q1 2007 title"

Just hours after gamers noticed online retailers were listing the PlayStation 3 version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as coming in 2007, Bethesda Softworks has made it official. In a statement, Pete Hines, the rising developer-publisher's vice president of PR, said flat out that "Oblivion PS3 is now a Q1 2007 title."

Hines gave no official reason for the Oblivion delay. Unofficially, though, the postponement has stirred up suspicions about PS3 development difficulties. There have also been murmurs that the scant supply of the PS3 at launch--400,000 on day one in all of North America--is giving publishers pause about rushing games to market. However, the game suffered a similar setback last November, when it was scheduled to be an Xbox 360 launch title. It was not released until the following March.

Of the 21 PS3 games announced as 2006 titles at Sony's Gamers Day, Oblivion is the first to be officially delayed until next year. Online retailers are also listing F.E.A.R. as being pushed to February, and unconfirmed reports have surfaced that have Sonic the Hedgehog coming in 2007. Neither reps for Sierra Entertainment nor Sega would comment on either game's release status, but GameStop.com still lists Sonic as arriving on November 14. A full list of the remaining 20 launch titles with their GameStop.com release dates--which are not official--is below.

SCEA Launch Titles:
Resistance: Fall of Man - 11/14/06
NBA 07 - 11/14/06
Genji: Days of the Blade - 11/14/06

Third-Party Publisher Titles:
Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII / Ubisoft - 12/05/06
Call of Duty 3 / Activision - 11/14/06
EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 / Electronic Arts - 12/12/06
F.E.A.R. / Vivendi Universal Games - 02/06/07
Full Auto 2: Battlelines / Sega - 12/12/06
Madden NFL 07 / Electronic Arts - 11/14/06
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance / Activision - "Ships in 24 hours"
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire / Namco Bandai Games - 11/13/06
NBA 2K7 / 2K Sports - 11/13/06*
Need for Speed Carbon / Electronic Arts - 11/20/06
NHL 2K7 / 2K Sports - 11/13/06*
Ridge Racer 7 / Namco Bandai Games - 11/13/06
Sonic the Hedgehog / Sega - 11/14/06
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 / Electronic Arts - 11/14/06
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas / Ubisoft - 12/19/06
Tony Hawk's Project 8 / Activision - "Ships in 24 hours"
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom / Sony Online Entertainment - 11/13/06

* = Confirmed by publisher as day-of-launch release.