Hyper Light Drifter Dev Finally Settles on PC/Mac Release Window

Hyper Light Drifter, a title GameSpot spotlighted as one of E3 2015's highlights, has been delayed until "spring 2015."

The vibrant top-down action game was originally scheduled for release in 2014, but has suffered multiple delays, first being pushed into late 2014, then going into release limbo.

Developer Heart Machine has now said in a Kickstarter update that it is ready to settle on a definite release window of "spring of 2016." The studio also explained why it has taken so long to release the game.

"Release dates are a sensitive subject, and our attitude has been to take the time we need to do this right," it said. "We have set a high standard for ourselves throughout the entire process, and will not compromise those to release a title before it’s ready. We’ve seen how that choice turns out time and time again. The final game will be far better for it.

"Game development is often an imprecise process of discovering how everything works together; the core concepts, the visuals, the audio and the interactive. Hyper Light Drifter is a big game, with a small handful of extremely dedicated people creating it."

It continued: "It has required a massive amount of careful design considerations, extensive conversations about the story and world, engine and tools building, plenty of discovery, trial and error, working through a variety of game-breaking and time-draining bugs, reworking and cutting of systems, reshaping, and streamlining to feel like we can deliver on the original intention and vision of the project."

The game will initially launch on Windows and Mac, followed "as quickly as possible by console" versions. The team is now working on completing the core game, while simultaneously developing the console versions, but has decided "not to withhold the PC version" while the others are completed.

"The game is rapidly nearing content completion. There’s balancing to be done with the economy/collectables, vital playtesting remains for specific regions and bosses, further cleanup for levels and remaining temp assets, some music to be composed, and bugs to be fixed," it said, addressing why it was releasing in 2016 instead of 2015.

"Each of these components are being worked on in-tandem, and each requires a healthy amount of time to bring to a satisfying, polished conclusion."

Hyper Light Drifter was also one the indie titles from PAX 2014 that GameSpot felt people should know about. Read our impressions of it, along with seven other promising games, here.