DayZ creator Dean Hall has commented on video game delays, saying they should be normalized and that consumers hold the power to show platform-holders that it's OK to delay a game.
Writing on Reddit, Hall said he believes developers have "target fixation" regarding launch timing for their games, and while some of this is due to "revenue pressures," it's also "wrapped up in perception."
"Failure to delay also leads to crunch culture," he said (via PC Gamer). "So I am here today on a mission--let us normalize delaying games. You as consumers have the power to make it clear to platform holders (Xbox, PlayStation) that delays are okay."
Hall said it's his belief that most delays happen due to "a failure to hit quality." Developers who want to release a quality product may not have the money to reach those targets, "so they try to hide it, or ignore it," Hall said.
He said this very thing happened with his studio Rocketwerkz survival game Icarus--the game launched and the studio "paid the price" of having its aggregate review score on Steam hit "Mixed." After five years of regular updates, the game now has a "Very Positive" rating, and Hall said it was the No. 4 best-selling game on Steam during the 2025 Winter Sale.
"As the studio got more fund security, we tried to break this cycle. But it is hard. We play the game, as a consumer would (no cheating), in the lead up to launch. Then we do 'go/no-go' meetings where we discuss if we met the quality bar we wanted," Hall said.
The developer went on to say developers should be more transparent with fans, and not shy away from giving them bad news. "Part of that is because developers tend not to talk with communities they talk at them via many layers of marketing, lawyers, management and "community managers," he said. "I think it is really important to be genuine when talking to community. Which means sometimes you have to tell people what they don't want to hear (e.g. we can't fix X because we made Y decision early)."
If a studio can establish a genuine rapport with players, it makes it easier to have honest conversations about difficult news, like delays, and explain to fans why they are happen "without all the corporate doublespeak," he said.
Next up for Icarus is the launch of the Dangerous Horizons expansion, which is coming in March after numerous delays. A console version of Icarus from developer Grip Digital is also coming in March following its own delay. The game is available to preorder now from the PlayStation and Xbox stores, but Hall said he personally does not want people to preorder it. Commercially, though, he wants you to preorder it because it's the "only way PlayStation/Xbox notice us."
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Writing on Reddit, Hall said he believes developers have "target fixation" regarding launch timing for their games, and while some of this is due to "revenue pressures," it's also "wrapped up in perception."
"Failure to delay also leads to crunch culture," he said (via PC Gamer). "So I am here today on a mission--let us normalize delaying games. You as consumers have the power to make it clear to platform holders (Xbox, PlayStation) that delays are okay."
Hall said it's his belief that most delays happen due to "a failure to hit quality." Developers who want to release a quality product may not have the money to reach those targets, "so they try to hide it, or ignore it," Hall said.
He said this very thing happened with his studio Rocketwerkz survival game Icarus--the game launched and the studio "paid the price" of having its aggregate review score on Steam hit "Mixed." After five years of regular updates, the game now has a "Very Positive" rating, and Hall said it was the No. 4 best-selling game on Steam during the 2025 Winter Sale.
"As the studio got more fund security, we tried to break this cycle. But it is hard. We play the game, as a consumer would (no cheating), in the lead up to launch. Then we do 'go/no-go' meetings where we discuss if we met the quality bar we wanted," Hall said.
The developer went on to say developers should be more transparent with fans, and not shy away from giving them bad news. "Part of that is because developers tend not to talk with communities they talk at them via many layers of marketing, lawyers, management and "community managers," he said. "I think it is really important to be genuine when talking to community. Which means sometimes you have to tell people what they don't want to hear (e.g. we can't fix X because we made Y decision early)."
If a studio can establish a genuine rapport with players, it makes it easier to have honest conversations about difficult news, like delays, and explain to fans why they are happen "without all the corporate doublespeak," he said.
Next up for Icarus is the launch of the Dangerous Horizons expansion, which is coming in March after numerous delays. A console version of Icarus from developer Grip Digital is also coming in March following its own delay. The game is available to preorder now from the PlayStation and Xbox stores, but Hall said he personally does not want people to preorder it. Commercially, though, he wants you to preorder it because it's the "only way PlayStation/Xbox notice us."
Source