Deathloop Delayed, Now Coming September 14

Deathloop, the anticipated PC and PS5 action-adventure game from Arkane, has been pushed back to the fall. The game is now slated to release on September 14, 2021. In a brief statement from game director Dinga Bakaba and art director Sebastien Mitton, the team chalked up the delay to a desire to reach its own quality goals without compromising on health concerns.

"We're committed to quality and preserving our team's ambitions for Deathloop while ensuring the health and safety of everyone at Arkane," the statement said. "We'll be using this extra time to accomplish our goal: create a fun, stylish, and mind-bending player experience. We apologize for the extended wait and thank you all for your passion and excitement. It is the fuel that powers our creativity and our hard work. We can't wait to show you more Deathloop soon."

Though the statement does not mention the COVID-19 pandemic that has been cited in many delays, the comment on ensuring "health and safety" suggests that bringing everyone back into the studio for the final stretch of development was a concern.

Deathloop takes place on a resort island where rich patrons use a constant timeloop to indulge their whims without consequences--including killing you, the player character. To escape and break out of the loop you'll need to methodically take out the shadowy organization running the operation, but all the while you're engaged in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with an island enforcer.

Deathloop is a PS5 console exclusive, as Microsoft is honoring Bethesda's existing contracts post-acquisition. In the future, though, Microsoft has said that the Bethesda acquisition will lead to Xbox exclusives. Bakaba recently talked about the acquisition and what it means for the future of the studio.