Studio MDHR recently announced that The Delicious Last Course, the upcoming DLC for their excellent sidescrolling run and gun shooter Cuphead, had been delayed. Originally slated for a 2019 launch, the DLC is now due out next year. In a statement, the game’s co-director Chad Moldenhauer has given the reasons for this delay. (via Kotaku)
Moldenhauer mentioned that the development team needed more time to ensure a certain level of quality for the DLC, saying the studio wants to make sure The Delicious Last Course has the same “meticulous level of care and quality” that defined Cuphead as well.
“While we initially announced a 2019 release date for the ‘Delicious Last Course’ expansion, our highest priority is making sure this new adventure meets the meticulous level of care and quality we always strive for,” he said. “We want to be absolutely certain that this next adventure feels at home in the world of Cuphead and is full of moments that surprise and delight players.”
While that is a pretty standard response for a delayed release, Moldenhauer gives another reason for why The Delicious Last Course won’t be out this year as originally planned- to avoid crunch, essentially. He says the delay will allow Studio MDHR to continue development on the DLC “in a way that’s healthy and sustainable for our team.”
“Furthermore, the development of the original game taught us a great deal about the importance of making things in a way that’s healthy and sustainable for our team,” said Moldenhauer. “This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but we’re confident it’s one that will result in a higher quality experience that’s all the sweeter when it does arrive.”
More and more we hear disheartening stories of crunch from major studios and developers across the industry, from Rockstar and BioWare to Epic Games, NetherRealm Studios and so many others, so it’s great to see a studio taking steps to move in the opposite direction, even if it means having to delay their project’s launch. Nintendo and Respawn Entertainment have also taken similar steps of late- here’s hoping we see more of this going forward.
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