Polish publisher CI Games is postponing the release of the action role-playing game "Lords of the Fallen 2" from autumn 2026 to the first quarter of 2027. CEO Marek Tyminski officially announced this.
The company cites necessary gameplay optimizations and the desire to avoid the traditionally overcrowded Christmas release period, especially with "GTA 6," as reasons for the delay. The game is currently in development at Hexworks and is scheduled for simultaneous release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and the successor to the Nintendo Switch.
Gameplay feedback necessitates additional development time
The development service provider will use the additional months for polishing and iteration. According to CI Games, the decision is largely based on reports from the internal gameplay feedback team, which consists of experienced genre veterans.
This team has identified specific areas for improvement in the combat system and technical stability following recent internal builds. The goal is a bug-free launch. This wasn't the case with its predecessor in 2023, which suffered from massive performance issues across all platforms at launch. They don't want to repeat that mistake. Period.
Tactical evasion in the 2026 Christmas season
Behind the delay, besides the technical aspects, lies a clear market strategy. The fall quarter of 2026 is considered extremely competitive in the industry, as several AAA productions are vying for buyers' attention. Added to this is the release of "GTA 6," which is capturing all the attention.
A release in the first quarter of 2027 significantly eases the situation for CI Games. However, this move poses a financial risk for the publicly traded company, as the crucial Christmas season will have to proceed entirely without the planned revenue generator. This translates to short-term headwinds for the stock.
For gamers, the delay is good news. The Soulslike genre doesn't forgive imprecise controls or frame rate drops. If Hexworks uses the time to avoid the technical flaws of the first game, the final product will benefit. Buyers should prepare for a demanding piece of software that will push PC and current-gen hardware to their limits when it launches in spring 2027. Pre-orders are purely speculative at this point.
