Axiom Verge 2 is so ambitious it had to be delayed to 2021

Indie developer Thomas Happ shared the unfortunate news that Axiom Verge 2 will not come out this year. While there is no new release date, Happ hopes to finish the game in the first half of 2021.

The original Axiom Verge received all kinds of praise. Whether it is the awesome faux-retro 8-bit style or brilliant Metroidvania game design. Fans put it right next to genre giants like the original Super Metroid. How fitting since the game takes a lot of inspiration from it.

So, it was no surprise that Axiom Verge 2 was in the works. Unveiled late last year, mere months before Covid became a thing, fans of the first game were thrilled with joy.

Promising more content, a new world, a new story, and pretty much just everything and more fans loved about the first one. Axiom Verge 2 was only announced for the Nintendo Switch and that hasn’t changed.

I am extremely grateful for all of the inquiries into the release date for Axiom Verge 2. I had my concerns about whether people would even care at all about a sequel coming 5 years after the release of the original. Although it’s taking longer than I originally hoped, I am going to do my best to make sure it’s worth the wait.

But the time frame has. No longer will it launch this year on Nintendo’s handheld hybrid. In a candid blog post, Happ explains why he made the decision. Or rather, why it was necessary. This year saw unprecedented levels of game delays due to the global pandemic, and while Covid did play a role in Axiom Verge 2’s delay, there’s more to it.

Happ isn’t just making more of the same with the sequel. Instead, everything is much more sophisticated and hence more complicated. Enemy AI for instance behaves more dynamic. Likewise, inventive weapons require a lot more time to implement correctly.

For all the rewards and accolades Happ received, he’s still just one man at the end of the day. Last but not least, Axiom Verge 2 sports vastly improved visuals that take a toll.