Developers Crystal Dynamics has revealed that the Tomb Raider reboot will be delayed to the first quarter of 2013. Earlier, the game was set to be released sometime in the fall of 2012.
Reasons for the delay include decisions to make technological improvements in the game.
"We're doing things that are completely new to Tomb Raider in this game and the additional development time will allow us to put the finishing touches into the game and polish it to a level that you deserve," said Darrell Gallagher, Studio head at Crystal Dynamics in the official Tom Raider game blog.
"We believe this is the right choice and I guarantee it will be worth the wait. The game is looking amazing and we can't wait to show it to everyone at E3 in a few weeks," added Gallagher.
The action-adventure video game is the ninth instalment of the Tomb Raider series. The game is a reboot that emphasizes the reconstructed origins of the culturally influential lead character, Lara Croft. The game will provide no correlation to the entirety of the previous entries in the series.
"When Crystal Dynamics first set out to reboot the Tomb Raider franchise, there were two goals that we were extremely passionate about," said Gallagher. "The first was to create a modern Tomb Raider game that would surprise and excite gamers. The second was to make this the best game of our careers, something we would be really proud to be a part of."
Tomb Raider is not the only game that has seen delayed launches this year. Bioshock Infinite announced its delayed release set for 2013 in order to improve quality.
Another title, Prey 2, seem to have risen from the dean. Fans were relieved that the game will not be cancelled but delayed due to unsatisfactory progress. According to game publisher Bethesda, the development of the game was not satisfactory all year long. It will see a 2013 launch.
Recently released title "Max Payne 3" also had its share of delays as it pushed back the launch date from March to May. The delay may not have appeared to damaged the game's popularity as Rockstar's third person shooter raked in over 281,597 pre-order totals in its opening.
Despite the extra wait, Tomb Raider fans may come to understand that potential great games may be ruined if the production was under a rushed deadline. Game companies have consistently explained that developers are looking to create the game properly with high standards to ensure a quality product.
"Tomb Raider becomes the second of the year's most anticipated triple-A titles to be delayed in as many weeks after 2K Games' BioShock Infinite suffered the same fate, with a release date also now set for Q1 next year," writes Reg Hardware.
Tomb Raider will be available for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC and will be shown during the E3 conference in Los Angeles from June 5-7.
