Annapurna Interactive announced today that the release of its upcoming indie game, Twelve Minutes, will be pushed back into 2021. The publisher is known for hit, indie titles like What Remains of Edith Finch and Outer Wilds, and more recently helped to release The Pathless from developer Giant Squid. Though its upcoming project, Twelve Minutes, has already been in development for several years, Annapurna seems positive the game will come soon after a few more tweaks.
Twelve Minutes leapt onto many gamers' radars following its appearance at Microsoft’s E3 conference in 2019. However, in 2020 the game seems to have attracted not only the interest of indie enthusiast but also A-list celebrities. Back in August, Annapurna's project took to the virtual stage at Gamescom’s Opening Night Live to reveal that it had enlisted an unbelievable cast to voice Twelve Minute’s characters. The protagonist will be played by James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley will voice his wife, and Willem Dafoe will be voicing the antagonist. This announcement netted the game an even wider audience and it seemed like everything was progressing well.
The news of the delay came from Annapurna Interactive’s official Twitter account earlier today. Mincing few words, the post relayed that Twelve Minutes, along with two other of the publisher’s projects The Artful Escape and Last Stop, would not launch this year has the company had hoped. Despite the “very broad” 2020 release window for these projects, Annapurna remarks that it is nearing the end of the year, so it is now setting its sights on 2021. The team quickly followed up with a message to reassure fans that the games were still close to the end of development, stating that the games have been coming together and most of the work remaining now is just polishing.
Though these anticipated projects have been delayed into 2021, there are still options this year for Annapurna fans. The publisher recently announced it would be releasing a mega-bundle of its greatest hits at the end of 2020. Featuring games like Donut County, Gorogoa, Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition, Sayonara Wild Hearts, and more, the bundle might help players get that indie fix while waiting for Twelve Minutes to announce its official launch.
2020 has seen more than its share of game delays from Triple-A titles like Halo Infinite to indie games like Twelve Minutes. Though delays are always a disappointment, making that decision can ultimately help games to meet player expectations. While Annapurna has not specified the game’s release date in 2021, the company seems confident it will get into players’ hands next year.
Source: Annapurna Interactive/Twitter