Softpedia >News >Games
Softpedia Homepage   

It's Official, Alpha Protocol Won't Be Coming Out This Year

With a previous release date of yesterday, the game is once again delayed

Oct 7, 2009 08:25 GMT  ·  By
Alpha Protocol won't be available until spring 2010
   Alpha Protocol won't be available until spring 2010

It seems once again rumors and secondhand sources are more reliable than official press statements. It's not that the publishing companies or the developers gave misleading information or that the press mediated the message in an inappropriate way. This time the rumors came to fill the gap that companies left with a total lack of communication. Alpha Protocol was supposed to be released on October 6, but early tips given by GameStop and Amazon suggested that the game would be pushed to summer 2010, as the date at which it would become available for purchase was modified on their site.

Today is October 7 and with no Alpha Protocol in sight it seems the game retailers were right on the money. With no other choice out of this predicament, Sega, the game's publisher, was forced to admit defeat and mark the offset. But engulfed by the stealth game that had them so distraught, Sega took the ninja way out and decided to try and slip under the radar. Their “big” announcement regarding the game's delay lacked any form of actual statement. The only change made was to the official site, where now the title is listed for release in "Spring 2010" for all three platforms, the PC, Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

Sega seems to be really afraid of the fans this game has gathered around it if it didn't even have the courage to come out with an official statement for this second big delay. The game had a first launch date set in February 2009, but it obviously missed it. In the past it faced allegations from a Sony product evaluator that said the game “felt barely RPG" and was "too challenging." Game developer Obsidian Entrainment dismissed these accusations but in the end Alpha Protocol was still delayed.

Usually, when a game fails to meet its schedule, either the developer or the publisher takes some form of responsibility and faces the press and the fans. They also take advantage of this opportunity to try and mend things. They explain the reason behind the delay and offer some excuse, like improving the game, working out some of the bugs in the system, fighting piracy or some general fluffed-out reason to make it all seem legit. Sega just closed its eyes and pretended the world doesn't exist.