Developer Ember Lab has announced that Kena: Bridge of Spirits has been delayed to Q1 2021 because of working from home complications due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The game was originally due out later this year on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
“The Ember Lab Team is overwhelmed and humbled by the positive response and outpouring of support for Kena: Bridge of Spirits,” the studio said, “Your kind words and excitement for the game have been an inspiration to the team. This year has brought many challenges and our transition to working from home has caused development to move slower than we hoped.
“For this reason, we have made the difficult decision to delay the release of Kena: Bridge of Spirits to Q1, 2021. We have not made this decision lightly, but feel it is best for the game and well-being of the team. We will use this time to give the game the polish it deserves and deliver an experience that meets our vision and your expectations. We look forward to sharing more about Kena in the coming months and delivering an amazing experience early next year.”
Kena: Bridge of Spirts was unveiled during Sony’s PlayStation 5 reveal event in June. The trailer, embedded above, shows a lush world filled with ancient ruins and adorable monsters as you explore and fight as the titular Kena. With her magical staff that acts as multiple weapons–including a bow–you will embark on an adventure about “personal growth and redemption,” according to Ember Lab.
With Kena: Bridge of Spirts delayed to next year, this means the list of PlayStation 5 console exclusives has dwindled for this year. Alongside Astro’s Playroom, prospective PlayStation 5 owners can look forward to Bugsnax, Godfall, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and a heap of rereleases like Control.
Still, the extra development time will allow Ember Lab to polish up the game. It’s already been reported that Kena: Bridge of Spirits only takes two seconds to launch from the dashboard on PS5. Ember Lab said the extra time will let the studio create an “experience that meets our vision and your expectations.”
Specific information about the PlayStation 5, notably its price and release date, remains unknown. However, we learned what could potentially be inside the boxes of both the Digital and Standard editions of the next gen console. Check out our PlayStation 5 preorder guide to learn about everything we know so far, as well as to be notified when a release date has been confirmed.
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