Now that The Last of Us Part II has been delayed until May 2020, there has been a massive shift in the perspective of delays. This new perspective has sent a signal to developers and publishers that gamers are fine with delays if it equals the best product possible. The emerging dynamic raises the question of how much more willing publishers will be to allow more development time for highly-anticipated releases. Furthermore, it's worth asking why more publishers aren't doing this already.
The Pros Of Delays
Delays can be undeniable good for the gaming industry. One of the most ironic instances of a delay working in a developer's favor is that of Red Dead Redemption 2. While Rockstar employees infamously worked 100 hours per week on the game up until its release, the game had originally been slated at an earlier date. In being delayed until October 2018, Rockstar had more time to develop the game and refine the experience for everyone. The game was ultimately incredibly well-received as a result, even though Rockstar employees had to work tirelessly despite the delay given to Red Dead Redemption 2.
Along with the refining of a delayed game comes a host of good things, including fewer bugs and issues. Friday the 13th: The Game was infamously plagued by bugs and glitches at launch, with server errors and other problems experienced by countless players. While nobody can know for sure, more time spent on the development of Friday the 13th: The Game in a delay may have been just what it needed to be the fleshed-out Friday the 13th experience it aimed to be.
While the game certainly was not broken, Mass Effect 3 was another title that could have used more time in development. One of the most hated aspects of the game is its fairly abrupt ending that lacks payoff. There are claims that Mass Effect developer BioWare didn't have enough time to work on the game, leaving fans to wonder what the ending could have been if more time was given.
The Cons Of Delays
Traditionally, the primary reaction to game delays has been one of dread, as the very nature of delays forces gamers to wait longer for their most anticipated games to finally release. There has been no worse feeling than to see that a new installment in a favorite franchise has been delayed.
Furthermore, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that the game will be refined to a tee upon release. A game may be given more time in development, but resources can still be wasted, leading the game to the same state it would have been in anyway.
After the reaction to the delay of The Last of Us Part II, it is very clear how the gaming community ultimately feels about delays. The community feels that, while at first frustrating, delays can lead to a terrific end result in a refined experience that's better for everybody.
As such, more games should be delayed. Until developers have the utmost confidence in the state of their games, they should be given the time they need to work out the kinks of the product. As was seen with Red Dead Redemption 2, and as will likely be seen with The Last of Us Part II, delays can ultimately lead to the experience that developers intend for, leaving no room for half-baked ideas and unfinished elements. Going forward, delays ought to happen a bit more frequently– for the betterment of the consumer, the publisher, and the developer.