Snapshot delays Phoenix Point to avoid crunch

Phoenix Point developer Snapshot Games has announced it is pushing the release of its XCOM spiritual successor back through to December, so as to 'keep crunch to a minimum.'

The work of original XCOM creator Julian Gollop, Phoenix Point is designed to bring everything beloved of the original turn-based sci-fi strategy game bang up-to-date with a few extras inspired by the franchise's more recent reboots. Back in May 2018 the crowdfunded title announced its first delay to June 2019, and was subsequently pushed back again to September 2019 as part of a shift to timed exclusivity on the Epic Games Store - a move which one investor estimates netted Gollop's company a neat £1.71 million.

Now developer Snapshot Games has announced another delay, which will see the the September launch date become December - but it claims it has a good reason for doing so. 'While the development team is working hard, and Phoenix Point is shaping up really well, we now know we’re going to need more time to get it to meet our very high standards,' the company told project backers. 'As you probably know, Snapshot has a commitment to keep crunch to a minimum – and that is a commitment we take very seriously. Therefore, because we know we have more work than we have time, we will be delaying the release of game from September 3, 2019 to December, 2019.

'We know this is not our first delay, and we are very sorry to the fans who we know are highly anticipating getting their hands on Phoenix Point. No one is more disappointed than we are, but we collectively agree that we would rather miss a launch date than ship something that does not meet our exacting standards. We want the Phoenix Point you play to be one of your favourite games of all time, and that means we need a bit more time. We know this is a significant delay. The good news is that Backer Build 5 will be releasing on our original launch date, September 3, 2019, meaning backers and early-access buyers will be able to play a much more robust version of Phoenix Point very soon.'

Snapshot's timed exclusivity deal means the game will be available through the Epic Games Store for twelve months from launch, after which it will likely appear on Valve's rival Steam distribution platform.