Belarus-based developer Sad Cat Studio has announced their upcoming action platformer, Replaced, is being delayed to 2023. The studio said the delay was due to the team’s relocation efforts following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war."Unfortunately, the continued war in Ukraine has heavily impacted the development of Replaced, as most of the team resides in the neighboring regions," wrote Sad Cat on Twitter. "The priority of Sad Cat was for the safety of the team and their families. As a result, part of the team has now relocated and work has only recently restarted on Replaced."Sad Cat announced its plans to relocate on March 4, just over a week after Russian armed forces entered Ukraine. At the time, the studio issued a statement which "condemned the Russian aggression" and praised Ukrainians fighting for their country.
"We are continuing to work hard to match the quality you've come to expect from the trailer, but are prioritizing both the physical and mental health of the developers by not forcing the original deadlines that have been unexpectedly impacted," Sad Cat added.
Replaced is described as a “2.5D retro-futuristic cinematic platformer” that takes place in an alternate 1980s. You play as R.E.A.C.H, an artificial intelligence trapped in a human body struggling to survive after some sort of societal collapse. The rich and powerful harvest organs from the poor and destitute, while greed and corruption runs rampant.
What really sets Replaced apart is its incredible art style, where characters and objects are rendered in two-dimensional pixel art but the environments and lighting are fully 3D. The announcement trailer is truly a sight to behold with lighting that’s on par with anything being produced in Unreal Engine 5.
Sad Cat isn't the only studio that's recently resumed work after relocating away from the war. GSC Game World had to pause development on Stalker 2 after Russia invaded Ukraine, with work resuming just last week after a two-month relocation to Czechia.