British developer and publisher Codemasters has revealed that the upcoming racer Dirt 5 is being slightly delayed, with the game now scheduled to launch a week later than planned, on October 16th. The off-road racer was meant to launch on October 9th and will be available across a variety of platforms, including PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Dirt 5 is expected to have an expanded career mode compared to its predecessors, which will include a story that features the talents of voice actors Troy Baker and Nolan North. This is a departure from other entries in the series, which have focused on authenticity and featured standard racing campaigns without a narrative. The publisher has also teased a new feature for creative players, suggesting that a track editor could be included in the racer for the first time. Meanwhile, Codemasters has already announced that Dirt 5 will arrive on next-generation consoles later in the year. Anyone who has already bought the game can upgrade for free when they buy a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X.
On the game's official Twitter account, Codemasters revealed that the release date for Dirt 5 has been delayed. The game will now launch on October 16th, a full week later than the original release date that was announced several months ago. The publisher did not give a reason for the delay, so it is currently unknown what caused the studio to push back the launch. However, Codemasters did confirm that those who pre-purchase the Amplified Edition of the game will get to play it three days early. That means that those players will now get access from October 13th.
Dirt 5 is far from the first title to be delayed this year. Several games suffered a similar fate as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced developers to adapt, usually by allowing employees to carry on their work safely at home. Of course, this has resulted in a drop in productivity, forcing studios to push back launches of even high-profile releases such as The Last of Us Part II. The industry has also seen a number of big events postponed or canceled, including E3 and the Game Developers Conference.
Although Codemasters has not given a reason for the delay of Dirt 5, the current conditions in the world are likely to blame. As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic begin to show in the games industry, there are likely to be more and more delays in the near future. Studios simply can't operate as efficiently when so many employees are working from home in conditions they're not used to. The fact that the upcoming off-road racer has only been pushed back by a single week is not only great news for fans of the series, but also a testament to the hard work of developers at Codemasters.
Dirt 5 will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 16th, with PS5 and Xbox Series X releases at a later date.
Source: Codemasters/Twitter