Bioshock 2 delayed until 2010

Take-Two have announced that Bioshock 2 has been delayed from October 2009 until the first half of 2010. The reason is simple: more development time is needed for the game. Take-Two’s chairman, Strauss Zelnick, said the following on the matter: “We recognize that our revised outlook for the balance of fiscal year 2009, due to both internal and external factors, is a disappointment. That said, we concluded that moving the release of BioShock 2 into fiscal year 2010 was the right decision for the product. We believe the result will be a more compelling consumer experience and a better performing product in the marketplace. At the same time, near term retail conditions have proven to be more challenging for our business than the assumptions built into our prior outlook.”

In other words, Strauss Zelnick understands the disappointment that gamers who are anticipating the sequel feel, but at the same time feels that the extra time is necessary. Take-Two’s CEO, Ben Feder, offered his opinion on the matter as well with the following: “The decision to shift a release date is never an easy one, especially with a product as highly anticipated as BioShock 2. We felt that it was essential to invest the additional time to ensure that this title will deliver what its fans expect and deserve.”

This comes as quite a big disappointment as Bioshock 2 is the third highly anticipated 2009 title (the others being God of War 3 and Heavy Rain) to slip back into 2010. In the end, there is a great deal more to come this year that will soften the blows, but as for Bioshock 2 we’ll be seeing it in 2010.