Of Releases and Pushed Back Release Dates

CEBU, Philippines - Of late, two giants in the video gaming area have started a “trend” of sorts, by respectively pushing back the release dates of two game titles – Tomb Raider (Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics) and BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games).

Both developers don’t exactly have operations/development ties, minus the industry/market scope covered by their product releases and features.

The new Tomb Raider was scheduled for release this year, working on Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider Engine. Rescheduled to come out within the 1st quarter of 2013, the game is a reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise, featuring an “origins angle” with a younger and inexperienced Lara Croft at the center of things.

Originally scheduled for release this October, BioShock Infinite, the latest installment of the BioShock series by Irrational Games, also announced a push back on its release date, to come by February of 2013. The acclaimed first-person shooter first came out in 2007, working on an alternate timeline where players get to explore an urban-jungle environment, fighting off mutants and mechanical drones.

With game developers, publishers and releases being a “hot topic” these past few months, gamers and professional gaming communities have been questioning the gaming industry’s stance on sticking to old school conventions in the sale and resale of titles.

While other entertainment industries – like the movie and music industry – have adapted to current release/publication trends, standards and norms, many gamers aren’t all that happy with how “old school” a number of game title releases remain to be.

Rumors of a built-in “anti-old/used game detection feature” to be sported by the upcoming PlayStation Orbis and Xbox 720 gaming consoles also haven’t done anything in inspiring avid gamers in anticipating their release as gaming-inclined entertainment hardware components.

With the annually held E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) happening this June at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the pushed back release dates of the new Tomb Raider and BioShock Infinite has left many gamers wondering just what’s up with the “delays”.

Not surprisingly, gamers are now formulating personal forecasts and bets over which other game title’s going to issue a push back on its scheduled release.  (FREEMAN)