Xbox Series X console exclusive Scorn will now release in late 2022

Ebb Software, the developer behind the Xbox Series X console exclusive horror title, Scorn, has announced that the game is now scheduled to launch in October 2022, rather than 2021.

The release date was confirmed via a new trailer for the game as well as a post on its Kickstarter page. In the post, Scorn’s community manager explains that the delay is borne of the team’s desire to “ensure that Scorn is the best game it can be.”

The additional time, the post goes on to say, “will allow the team to make sure the vision for Scorn comes to life in all its spine-chilling, nightmarish glory. We know that this means a longer wait, especially for our fantastic Kickstarter community, who have been with us since the very beginning. Still, we’re committed to making Scorn the best experience possible for our players and fans.”

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Ebb Software’s CEO, Ljubomir Peklar, added to the post to say that the game has hit “75% content completion” and that looking ahead “at the coming months, we will be focusing on completing the final 25% of the content, followed by bug fixing and getting the game ready for the launch. We’re very excited to get our game in players’ hands and allow them to experience Scorn for themselves.”

Scorn has been in development for a few years now, with its Kickstarter project launching in 2017 and its original release date pencilled in for 2018. After a delay, Scorn was shown as part of the Xbox Series X games showcase back in May 2020 with gameplay revealed in October 2020, then with an expected release of sometime in 2021.

When Scorn releases in October next year, it’ll be available on PC and Xbox Series X/S as well as Xbox Game Pass.

Analysis: Not the biggest surprise

It’s perhaps not hugely shocking that Scorn’s release date has been pushed into next year. After last year’s gameplay reveal, things went rather quiet and in November the developer intimated that it expected the release date would slip to 2022. Given we’re just about to close out 2021, there wasn’t exactly a great deal of time left to get it out before the new year anyway. At the very least, October is by far the most appropriate time to release a horror game so it makes sense to target that month.

Overall, we get the impression that Scorn is a game that started as one thing and has grown in scope over the course of its development into something far more ambitious that naturally requires more time. As with any delay, if it means getting a better game then it’s hopefully going to be worth it. Good games take time, as they say.

There are, of course, Kickstarter backers who have been waiting to get their hands on the H.R. Giger and Zdzislaw Beksinki inspired title for a while now. Closing out the Kickstarter post, the studio promises to keep these backers “informed at every step of the way during this final leg of our journey.” Future updates will “be filled with a range of content. News, behind-the-scenes interviews with our teams, sneak peeks at some work-in-progress assets, and most importantly, a check-in with development progress overall.”

The past year or so has seen delays become more common than ever. With the ongoing pandemic, studios have been forced to make changes and big titles like Horizon Forbidden West and Gotham Knights are among those that have seen their release dates pushed from 2021 into 2022. It’s safe to say 2022 is probably going to be a busy year for game fans.