Announcing a video game is never as simple as one would think, with all sorts of assets required once the team is positive enough that the release date is going to be realistic. Delays are common, and this has been particularly true ever since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it imposes more challenges than before. As such, it doesn’t come as a surprise that a game as massive asElden Ringis being delayed by around a month, but this does pose questions as to how it may impact the reception of the upcomingSouls-likeRPG and games releasing alongside it.
IfElden Ring’s initial release datehad stuck, it would have meant a very busy January for many, and the launch would have had more competition from other titles likePokemon Legends: Arceus. However,Elden Ringis now launching in February 2022, during one of the busiest weeks in terms of big game launches, includingDestiny 2’sThe Witch Queenexpansion,Horizon Forbidden West, andSaints Row. Everything will be launching within seven days of each other, withHorizon Forbidden Westreleasing on February 18,The Witch Queenon February 22, and bothElden RingandSaints Rowon February 25.
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Path of Exile’s Delay and Cyberpunk 2077
Changing a game’s release date to better suit the audience’s needs is not uncommon, as having two big titles releasing around the same time can have a detrimental effect on both. An example of this wasPath of Exiledelaying its expansion to avoid competition withCyberpunk 2077last year, which sparked debate as to why this was even a concern seeing how different the games are. The answer is hype, mainly.Cyberpunk 2077was one of the most hyped games to launch in the last decade thanks to a combination of factors, hence whyPath of Exile’s expansion was delayed.
When games hyped up as much asCyberpunk 2077orElden Ringare about to release, it’s expected that a huge chunk of players will converge for a while. As such, the other releases in February 2022 might suffer the most because ofElden Ring’s delay, which could lead to them being delayed accordingly. The problem is that rescheduling a release can also have consequences based on the fans' reactions, as well as having to deal with other releases in a different time slot.
How Destiny 2: The Witch Queen May be Affected by Elden Ring’s Delay
Destiny 2is one of the games likely to be affected the most by this change. First,Destiny 2: The Witch Queenwas already delayed by Bungie, with the initial release being scheduled to hit the store toward the end of this year before the pandemic affected development. The second reason is thatDestiny 2is inherently a games where players get content in small bites over the span of a few weeks thanks to its seasonal model.
WhileThe Witch Queenis going to be a big yearly expansion with plenty to tackle,Destiny 2players know that Season 16 will still be available if they miss a week or two after release, and so will the new core stuff. This is in contrast withDestiny 2’s dependency on so-called FOMO(the fear of missing out), which is based on the principle that not playing can lead to losing out on cosmetics or farming for specific gear.The Witch Queenexpansion will also include a new Raid, and if it arrives on release, it’s likely players will want to compete in a day one first-clear Raid contest, or at least get up to the new Power Level cap as quickly as possible.
This is not considering thatThe Witch Queen’s content could be locked up until finishing the main campaign, which could take at least a full day, leaving very little time beforeElden Ringdrops to do anything else. Yet, another delay could hurt Bungie’s looter-shooter more at this point, so some fans believe the best solution may be to have the expansion come earlier, perhaps in January. The point of the initial delay on Bungie’s part still stands, and at this stage it seems unlikely that the release date forThe Witch Queenwill change.
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The Impact of Elden Ring’s Delay
Horizon Forbidden Westis another highly anticipated game coming in that same week, and while it may not have the same hype asEldenRing, it can still be hurt by surrounding releases. Fans of the action-RPG could get the game on February 18, then have four days untilDestiny 2’s expansion, and then three more untilElden RingandSaints Row, assuming one would like to play them all. This is a lot to unpack, and some players may end up rushing the completion ofHorizon Forbidden Westin order to have enough time for the other titles.
Because there is no easy way out of the entanglement that is going to be February 2022, the best bet for players is to pick their favorite games of the bunch and dedicate some time to them over the others, at least for a while. Ultimately, it’s likely thatElden Ringwill generate big sales numbersfor the first week or two after release, so the other games might take an initial hit before recovering once the hype dies down.
Elden Ringlaunches June 12, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
