Melbourne studio ghost pattern has announced that it has delayed the release of its upcoming narrative-driven game Wayward Strand from July 21 to September 15.
In a statement, the studio says that Wayward Strand is a unique title and that it is pushing the release date to ensure that the launch experience is as best as possible without crunching or compromising the well-being of the team.
“This delay means we can release Wayward Strand at a level of quality that we’re happy with. Importantly, it also allows us to do it in a less stressful way for the team. Wayward Strand is a game about care, and it would make no sense to make this game without caring for each other. From day one, we’ve been rigorously committed to empathy, openness, and anti-crunch. Game releases are almost always stressful and difficult for the teams behind them, so we’re trying to find ways of approaching our release that reduce some of those pressures.”
The statement goes on to emphasise the size and scope of Wayward Strand, which for a small indie developer like ghost pattern has been a challenge but one the team has welcomed and wanted to tackle the right way. According to ghost pattern, Wayward Strand contains more than 25,000 lines of voiced dialogue, a narrative that features 14 characters who each have their own three-hour in-game journey, and a highly-detailed world.
Set in 1978, Wayward Strand sees Casey Beaumauris, a young intrepid journalist, join her mother onboard an airship hospital where she will speak to and uncover stories about the hospital and its residents for an article for her school’s newspaper. Each playthrough promises to be different thanks to the game’s simultaneous storytelling feature that sees all characters live out their days in real-time, meaning players will have to pick and choose which stories to chase in each playthrough.
Wayward Strand will take flight on September 15 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
What do you make of Wayward Strand’s delay? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
Despite a childhood playing survival horrors, point and clicks and beat ’em ups, these days Zach tries to convince people that Homefront: The Revolution is a good game while pining for a sequel to The Order: 1886 and a live-action Treasure Planet film. Carlton, Burnley FC & SJ Sharks fan. Get around him on Twitter @tightinthejorts
