Why Video Game Delays Are a Good Thing

Of course, it’s disappointing when a game you have been looking forward to gets delayed. It happens all too often, and when it does, the internet becomes flooded with complaints from disgruntled gamers who are upset they don’t get to play their long-awaited game as early as originally expected.

But rather than defaulting to being upset that a game is delayed, there is another side of the coin that deserves to be observed. And once you do, you might start to see that could be a good thing when a game gets delayed.

Delaying Games Reduces Crunch Culture

Crunch culture is a big issue in the realm of video games. But what is crunch culture , you might be wondering? Essentially, crunch culture involves subjecting video game developers to appalling working conditions to get them to work faster and harder in an effort to meet harsh deadlines.

It’s easy for a big boss to waltz into the office and demand a project be finished by a certain date, regardless of how plausible it is. But the reality is that behind the scenes, developers have to scramble to meet those deadlines, often resulting in them working absurd hours and experiencing extremely high stress levels.

While some people work well under pressure, positive environments often produce the best results. When you actually look at whether crunch culture creates better video games , in the end, the answer is far from a resounding yes. Great games have come from crunch culture, sure. But it’s simply not worth subjecting workers to crunch culture when it is entirely possible to create brilliant games without it.

Delaying Video Games Improves the Final Product

When a video game is delayed, it’s because it’s simply not ready yet. Pulling your chicken out of the oven before it’s finished cooking doesn’t automatically make it done. If you take it out too early, it will be inedible. Although that’s a bit of an extreme example, the same general idea applies to games that are released before they’re finished.

One of the most glaring real-life examples of this is Cyberpunk 2077. After a few short delays, the final release date of Cyberpunk 2077 was upheld regardless of the fact that it wasn’t finished, and the result was a poor experience that some players couldn’t even finish because of game-breaking bugs.

Image Credit:CD Projekt Red

Developers continued working on Cyberpunk 2077 well after its release date, and it’s great now. But it is clear to see that the game would have met a much warmer reception if the developers had been given enough time to finish it before it was released.

Better Games Mean Better Sales

The better a game is, the more people are going to buy it, love it, and tell their friends about it. Creating games costs a lot of money. So the more profit that a game makes, the more resources development teams will have to create even more amazing games in the future.

Delaying the release of games allows the final product to be better, which means better sales, which means creators have the resources required to make more titles for gamers to enjoy. That is the circle of life for video games, but that cycle stops if a game doesn’t sell well enough to recoup costs.

Gamers Will Actually Get What They Paid For

There’s nothing worse than spending your hard-earned cash on something and feeling ripped off for one reason or another. If you buy a game, boot it up, and experience so many bugs or glitches that it becomes unenjoyable, no one wins.

In situations like this, everyone loses. The consumer loses, the development team loses, and the publisher loses. All for something that could have possibly been avoided if the game’s release date was pushed back a bit and developers had enough time to create a more polished experience.

Unfinished Games Don’t Benefit Anyone

At the end of the day, you’re presented with two options when it comes to video game delays. Option number one is sticking to release dates, leading to poor working conditions and lower-quality games. Option number two is delaying the release for a little, so the end product is really worth the wait.

Game delays can be disappointing, there’s no denying that. But next time you find yourself frustrated about a delay, remind yourself that it means the game’s going to be better, and the people creating it won’t have to sacrifice their mental health while doing so.