Survival horror game Alone in the Dark has been delayed for a second time, to help developer Pieces Interactive avoid having to crunch on the game over the Christmas period.
In a press release, Pieces and publisher THQ Nordic suggested that with a planned release date in January, "the Christmas season would have been filled with stress" for the developers. Stating that "the well-being of the teams is a top priority, and both companies want to avoid any potential crunch over the Christmas holidays," the release confirmed that the new release date is set for March 20, 2024.
The release also mentions a desire "to exceed the expectations" of the community, and praises the "outstanding performances" of the game's stars - Stranger Things' David Harbour and Killing Eve's Jodie Comer.
Originally planned to launch in October 2023, the game was initially delayed a month before that date when the developers said that there were simply too many good games coming out around that time. In their defense, juggernaut games like Alan Wake 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 moved their release dates to dodge games like Starfield and Marvel's Spider-Man. Those adjustment put Remedy's own survival horror title - firmly in contention for Game of the Year awards - directly in line with that initial Alone in the Dark. That kind of competition isn't great for a smaller studio, suggesting that the first delay was a sensible decision.
Can't wait all the way until March? Here's our list of the best horror games to keep yourself spooked all the way to 2024.
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I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.