After suffering from a delay earlier in the year, Obsidian’s award-winning RPG The Outer Worlds is finally making its way to the Nintendo Switch this June.
Publisher Private Division couldn’t wait to get on Twitter to announce The Outer Worlds new release date for the Nintendo Switch.
The New York-based publishing company revealed earlier this week that the game will be released next month, June 5, 2020.
Time to visit Halcyon anywhere, everywhere, and anytime! The Outer Worlds is coming to Nintendo Switch on June 5, 2020.
Pre-order here: https://t.co/F5tZ5Ccbx0 pic.twitter.com/hOzFD9r802
— Private Division (@PrivateDivision) May 22, 2020
Delays in interplanetary space travel
The Switch port of the critically acclaimed first-person looter shooter was originally due on March 6, 2020.
However, due to difficulties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, Private Division released a statement on February 7, 2020, that the game would be delayed indefinitely.
We’re delaying @OuterWorlds on Nintendo Switch due to the coronavirus impacting the Virtuos team working on the port, to provide them enough time to finish development. We’ll now be releasing the physical version on cartridge. Once we have a new launch date, we’ll let you know!
— Private Division (@PrivateDivision) February 6, 2020
The publisher cited the main reason for the setback being the closure of the Virtuos team office. While the Private Division did mention that the employees were safe, Virtuos were the ones who were working on The Outer Worlds port, which meant development would come to halt.
On a positive note, the publisher added that they would be releasing the Switch version’s physical edition as a cartridge, much to the delight of fans.
Journey to The Outer Worlds
The Outer Worlds is an open-world action role-playing game (RPG) that uses a first-person perspective and features a branching decision-based story.
The non-linear title was developed by Obsidian Entertainment—the minds behind other wildly successful RPGs, including Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout: New Vegas, and South Park: The Stick of Truth.
For those who think the sci-fi adventure gives off a distinct Fallout feel, that’s because Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky—creators of the renowned Fallout series—were brought in to be the directors of the project.
New Vegas is the best in the fallout series but you should really play the outer worlds instead. It was made by the same development studio that made NV, made on a way better engine. The way it’s designed it really made me feel like I don’t need the Bethesda games in 2020.
— Zach with a goddamn H (@rumorsofmeaning) May 22, 2020
Development on the RPG began in May 2016 and was later teased by Obsidian in 2017. The Outer Worlds was properly announced during The Game Awards 2018, and was revealed to be Microsoft Store and Epic Games Store exclusives.
This didn’t sit too well with fans, however, since Steam users would have to wait at least a year before getting their hands on the title.
The Outer Worlds was eventually released on October 25, 2019, for Xbox One, Windows, and PlayStation 4.
Accolades aplenty
Despite the controversy surrounding its exclusivity, The Outer Worlds debuted to widely positive reviews, with gamers and critics praising the game’s intricately well-written narrative and talented cast of voice actors.
The action title did receive some flak over its uninspired enemy design and simple combat but was generally well-loved overall. In 2019, the fan-favorite epic took home awards for “Best Original Game” and ” Best RPG.”
Great news, spacers!
We can't thank you all enough. https://t.co/cHCAhtMbwq
— The Outer Worlds (@OuterWorlds) February 14, 2020
The Outer Worlds fared even better in 2020, garnering several awards including “Role-Playing Game of the Year,” “Most Promising New Intellectual Property,” and the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR) awards for character design and art direction.
Image courtesy of Outer Worlds/Twitter
