Torchlight 2 delayed until 2012
Runic needs more time, knows you're busy anyway.
Oft-delayed action RPG Torchlight 2 will not be ready before the end of 2011 as originally hoped, developer Runic Games has announced.
A post on its website today explained that it needs a little more time to polish up the game and get a beta off the ground.
"'So... where is Torchlight 2? Didn't you guys say that you were planning to try to release this year?'" wrote Runic president Travis Baldree.
"Well, yeah. We did - and we made a good run at that. We've come to the realisation, however, that getting a game of this scope up to the quality and polish level we want to achieve is going to take a little longer; especially since we want to run a small beta before release to ensure that our launch is smooth."
He went on to explain that ensuring the game is the best it can be shouldn't take too much longer.
"The first Torchlight was released in record time, but it had plenty of issues that a little more development could have resolved. We didn't have the resources at the time to give Torchlight that treatment.
"Right at this moment though, we do have those resources for the sequel, and we feel strongly that we should apply them to make this the best game we can make and hopefully one that you'll enjoy and continue to want to play in the future.
"We've probably had 18 months of full development time on it so far - not excessively long yet, as far as that goes. The amount of time we need to take it the rest of the way is relatively small."
It's possibly a wise move given the overwhelming number of AAA games on the shelves this month, a fact that Runic seems very aware of.
"Besides, you're all playing Skyrim right now anyway, aren't you? Or Battlefield 3? Or Uncharted 3? Or Saints Row 3? Or Arkham City? Or Skyward Sword? Or Minecraft? Or Modern Warfare 3? Or Dark Souls? Or Assassin's Creed Revelations?
"Those are awesome games. When Torchlight 2 goes live, we want it to be awesome too - all the way through."
For more on the follow-up to Runic's fun 2009 Diablo alternative, give Eurogamer's recent Torchlight 2 preview a read.