Highlights
- Game development is a complex process that requires coordination among many people, and delays can happen at any time, making it challenging for games without clear release dates, like the KOTOR remake, to recover from setbacks.
- Long gaps between game announcements and updates can lead to unrealistic expectations from fans, as seen with The Elder Scrolls 6, where speculation has run rampant without any definitive information.
- While some games have successfully been revealed close to their release dates, like Mortal Kombat 11 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the uncertain futures of The Elder Scrolls 6 and the KOTOR remake may become clearer when they are ready for release.
Game reveals are one of the most exciting things for gamers to experience. Whether it's a genuine surprise or rumors have circulated for months, few things beat the pure joy that comes from knowing an ambitious new video game is on the horizon. That is, unless a game is announced long before it's ready and a release date is nowhere in sight. This has happened with dozens of projects over gaming's long history, and two of the most relevant offenders are The Elder Scrolls 6 and the KOTOR remake. Each game is representative of wider issues within the industry, specifically regarding how companies handle their marketing.
Video game development is, and always has been, a severely tricky endeavor. Dozens of people have to collaborate across multiple disciplines to create one cohesive thing that actually functions as intended, and all it takes is one small mistake for all progress to screech to a halt. This is in stark contrast to how some publishers handle their marketing, opting to reveal a game despite how far along in development it actually is. While some publishers may see no harm in doing this, it can create issues for both developers and fans when time keeps ticking and games like The Elder Scrolls 6 or KOTOR remake are radio silent.
Game Development Is Almost Never Straightforward
As mentioned before, game development is a highly complex process that takes the coordination of countless people. Between figuring out how to handle combat to ensuring something as simple as the main menu works correctly, there are a lot of things that can go wrong at any given time. Delays in development happen, and while it hurts to see a game like Cyberpunk 2077 get delayed so close to its planned release, it can be even more detrimental for a game with no clear release date to suffer a setback. The KOTOR remake makes for one of the most poignant examples of this.
When the KOTOR remake was announced two years ago, it was met with overwhelming jubilation from much of the gaming community. At long last, the landmark RPG was getting a modern remake like many had been requesting for years, with the project helmed by developer Aspyr. A few months later, however, it was announced that a new studio would have to take up development as Aspyr was unable to manage such a large title on its own. Now, not only does the KOTOR remake not have a solid release window, but fans are left wondering if the game may ever come out due to this significant shake-up in development.
With Time Comes Unrealistic Expectations
One of the other realities of a game being announced, and then getting little to no updates for years on end, is that oftentimes some fans will create unrealistic expectations for it. In the case of The Elder Scrolls 6, Bethesda has gone so long without providing any substantial updates that speculation has run rampant. Without any definitive information, this theorizing is only going to continue to grow until the day Bethesda says something worthwhile about The Elder Scrolls 6. At this point, some fans are likely to be disappointed that their years spent speculating didn't pay off.
Getting excited about an upcoming game is a regular occurrence for gamers, but there are often limits to how long some are willing to wait without new information. A few games in recent memory have found success in getting revealed within the same year of their release, with Mortal Kombat 1 and Super Mario Bros. Wonder serving as strong examples. While The Elder Scrolls 6 and the KOTOR remake may seem nebulous now, hopefully the next time there is an update, it will be when they are ready to be released in the near future.