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In an industry where most video game developers won’t admit to ducking larger if not better games, Evil Empire just did that. In a recent announcement, the “triple I” development studio admitted that Supergiant Games’ Hades 2 has forced them to delay the Early Access release of The Rogue Prince of Persia.
“It’s not every day that a game in the same genre as you, which is one of the most anticipated upcoming games of 2024, will release into Early Access a week before you plan to do the same,” said Evil Empire on Twitter.
While disappointing, the delay for The Rogue Prince of Persia is short-lived. The studio assures its expecting fans that the roguelike title is still coming out in Early Access this month – just a little later than expected.
According to Evil Empire, The Rogue Prince of Persia will receive a “precise date on Monday.”
Was Delaying The Rogue Prince of Persia The Right Move?
It’s not unusual for games of the same genre to release close to each other. A delay because of a competitor’s success doesn’t happen often. Then again, Evil Empire is an independent studio. It’s not beholden to its publisher. It’s probably best that it didn’t risk competing against Hades 2. Otherwise, it could’ve suffered a similar fate with Horizon Forbidden West, which came out a week before Elden Ring. The sequel is largely considered a less commercially successful product compared to the first game for this reason.
The worst-case scenario for The Rogue Prince of Persia would’ve been a similar fate with Immortals of Aveum. The AAA first-person shooter was sandwiched between several big-time releases from August 2023 to September 2023. It didn’t get much spotlight at all and didn’t sell well. Its developers, Ascendant Studios, had to lay off most of its staff following its release.
With The Rogue Prince of Persia likely delayed to late May, expectations are now higher for the makers of Dead Cells to release a more polished version of the roguelike title.
We’ll know more on Monday when we can expect to play The Rogue Prince of Persia.
