Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End delayed

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, easily one of next year's most anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusives has been delayed. In a last minute message before the holiday break, Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley took to the PlayStation Blog to reveal the new release date of April 26, 2016 — about a month later than originally announced.

Here's the full message:

"This is our largest Uncharted game to date, and the team has been working incredibly hard to meet the challenge of closing out the game’s development in a timely manner. However, as we approached our final deadlines and started wrapping up the game’s levels, we realized that several key sequences needed extra resources to bring them to the finish line. After carefully considering all of our options, we decided to extend our schedule, making sure that we get a few more polish passes before submitting our gold master (the final disc for manufacturing).

Pushing the date is not an easy choice, and we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t feel in our hearts it’s the best course of action for the game. To you, our loyal fans, we hope you’ll accept our sincere apology. We know many of you have been waiting patiently for Nathan Drake’s final chapter, and now we humbly ask you to wait a bit longer.

On April 26, 2016 the most ambitious installment in the Uncharted series will be in your hands."

It's a bit of unfortunate news for PlayStation 4 owners starved for a new exclusive AAA gaming experience, but I'd rather Naughty Dog take the time to polish all the rough edges.

Naughty Dog has some big plans for Uncharted 4 including all new gameplay feature such as branching dialogue options and a robust multiplayer. Of course, the series' signature storytelling and breathtaking set pieces will always be the highlight.