Developer Level-5 has announced that Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom won't be arriving later this year. The release date has been pushed back to January 19, 2018. It was originally scheduled to launch this November.
In a video, series creator and Level-5 chief Akihiro Hino said that the team decided to delay the release to spend more time developing the game in order to produce a full Ni No Kuni 2 experience for fans. He also promised that the team remains committed to providing a "deep and satisfying" single-player experience, which fans can look forward to.
While the delay is a bummer for fans who are looking forward to playing Ni No Kuni 2 later this year, the decision is actually a wise one for Level-5. Big-name titles typically dominate the last three months of the year.
Releasing close to titles such as Star Wars Battlefront 2, Assassin's Creed: Origins, and Call of Duty: WWII could hurt Ni No Kuni 2's chances of standing out. There's also this little console called Xbox One X that's set to arrive in November and will likely hog all the spotlight. So a late January 2018 release date is a better slot for the charming RPG.
Ni No Kuni 2 is the sequel to Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, which was originally released in Japan back in 2011 as a PS3 exclusive. Wrath of the White Witch is considered by many as one of the best RPG titles of the last generation.
Studio Ghibli handled the animations for that game, which no doubt had a huge hand in its success. The acclaimed animation studio, however, is no longer in charge of the animations in Ni No Kuni 2. The sequel now features a different art style than its predecessor. The good news is that it still looks gorgeous.
Ni No Kuni 2 will be available on PS4 and PC. Bandai Namco Entertainment will publish the game for international markets.