Bandai Namco originally planned to release Tales of Arise back in 2020, but like most games set to come out that year, the project ended up delayed. The unexpected arrival of the coronavirus interrupted the tempo of the game's progress and forced Bandai Namco Studios to rethink its development. Since then, Bandai released a new Tales of Arise trailer back in March and promised to come back in spring with more details concerning the title.
Now, spring is here, and Bandai Namco has delivered on its promise of more information. Speaking with IGN, Yusuke Tomizawa, Tales of Arise producer, stated that the game would now launch on September 10, 2021. Not only that, but Tales of Arise will be available on next-generation consoles as well as the originally planned PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Whether it will appear on Nintendo Switch remains a mystery as Bandai didn't seem to want to clarify that in the interview.
However, the developer did explain its reason for including the PS5 and the Xbox Series releases. Apparently, Tales of Arise's delay turned out to be a positive thing for the title. According to Tomizawa, it gave Bandai the time it needed to focus on improving the quality of the game and creating PS5 and Xbox Series ports. The ports exist to increase the number of people capable of buying Arise, but whether they allow for anything more, Tomizawa didn't say.
The interview also didn't say when fans could expect Bandai's next update for the game. Still, at the very least, fans of the best-selling "Tales of" series now have a release date to look forward to for Arise. Bandai announced the game's delay back in June of last year, meaning the title went from a guaranteed release to ten months of silence regarding when fans could play it. The developer did give a few updates here and there on the game's progress, but they were little and far between.
With the added reveal that the game will appear on next-generation consoles, the next Tales of Arise update might also be one for fans to look forward to. While Bandai didn't delve into ports in this current interview, it's possible that it'll use the next update to show them off, giving fans a look at what the revamped Tales of Arise art style looks like on the most current generation. PS5 and Xbox Series shortages are still a problem right now, but maybe they'll be resolved by the time Arise launches.
Tales of Arise launches for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, and PC on September 10, 2021.
Source: IGN
