Four Game Delays That Didn’t Really Matter

Rayman Legends may have been delayed until next year, but fear not– if history tells us anything, it’s probably for the best.

By Bradly Halestorm. Posted 10/10/2012 14:30 4 Comments     ShareThis

Super Smash Bros. Brawl box art

Last, but certainly not least, we come to Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Yeah, remember that game? Well, despite walking through development hell for three years, the title finally emerged and went on to sell 10.79 million units, and manages to still make its way into my Wii from time to time. I’d call that a success. Sure, the game had some flaws upon release, but there’s a reason why it’s still played. Had it released sooner than it did, who knows if the final product would have turned out as well-rounded as it did. It’s entirely possible that, without those gruelling years of waiting, we could have been given a game that was a mere shadow of its former self. To further cement this point, we can even look at Star Fox Adventures which was originally slated for an N64 release, but ultimately landed on the GameCube.


All in all, then, it’s important to remember that successful games usually go on to spawn sequels. The ones that aren’t good, that don’t sell well, don’t typically get future installments. The harsh reality of all this is simple: games get delayed. They always have, and they always will. Rayman Legends is a testament to this; it’s not the exception, rather the rule. But if its delay means we get a more sound product, one that is worthy of its price tag, then I’m okay with it. There are too many other games out there to let the impediment of one mean life or death. Legends’ hold-up won’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things, in spite of our knee-jerk reactions. Wii U’s sales won’t suffer from it, nor will the game itself. In the end, game delays are often like uncomfortable feelings: at first, when they happen, it sucks, but then the feelings pass and life goes on. My guess is in six months time no one is going to be talking about Rayman’s delay– they’ll be too busy playing it.

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4 Responses to “Four Game Delays That Didn’t Really Matter”

  • 576 points
    MegabusterLegends3 says...

    Sigh … I can’t read the subtitle to Rayman without feeling at least a little bit sad …

    • 1558 points
      penduin says...

      Aww man, me too, now. Thanks a lot. ;^)
      Interesting choice of username, by the way.

      But you actually bring up a good on-topic point, in a roundabout way…

      Sometimes, delays matter a lot, and all too often contribute to cancellations. We were really looking forward to Megaman Legends 3D, and I’m guessing the prototype demo version they had in the works was a last-ditch effort to convince management that the project had interest and shouldn’t be killed. Alas, it was too little too late, or not ready in time, or both, and the businessmen in charge decided to spend the company’s resources turning Resident Evil into a cover shooter instead.

      Great, now I’ve made _myself_ sad. ;^)

  • 1244 points
    lukas85 says...

    Skyward sword didnt sell that well, actually it had poor sales less than 4 million. Compared to other zelda games.

    • 156 points
      Bradly Halestorm says...

      I see what you’re saying, Lukas, though I’m not sure I agree with you. Skyward Sword has sold nearly 3.5 million units. While that may not be as many as previous Zelda’s, I’d be very hesitant to call those numbers “poor”. In fact, I think Skyward’s sales are especially commendable considering the Wii’s rapid decline in 2011, along with stiff competition it faced last holiday season. Skyrim, Gears of War 3, Modern Warfare 3, Batman: Arkham City, Uncharted 3, and Battlefield 3 all came out within the same time frame as Skyward Sword (between the months of September and November).

      Considering those factors, along with recognizing that 3.5 million units is an impressive feat for any series, I’d argue that, in context, Skyward Sword was quite a success. Though one could debate that if the game made its initial launch window it may have sold better due to a less saturated market, I’d be inclined to say that, had it been pushed out for the mere sake of timing, we could’ve ended up with a game that wasn’t polished. This ultimately could have impacted sales far more than those elements outlined in the above paragraph.

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