‘Resident Evil Re:Verse’ gets a last-minute delay to 2022

At this point, it's almost a surprise when a notable game slated for 2021 isn't delayed. The latest title to slip to 2022 is Resident Evil Re:Verse, the upcoming multiplayer take on the horror franchise. What stands out with this delay, however, is that Capcom is putting the release date on ice only a week or two before the game was supposed to drop.

"The previously announced July 2021 launch of Resident Evil Re:Verse is being moved to 2022 so that the team can continue working to deliver a smooth gameplay experience," the Resident Evil crew wrote in a tweet. "We will share updated launch details at a later time. Thank you for your patience and understanding."

Re:Verse was announced as a freebie for those who own Resident Evil Village. Capcom suggested those who have a physical copy of Village keep their Re:Verse download code in a safe place or add it to their account so they're ready to roll when the game finally drops.

For players who purchased a physical version of Resident Evil Village, we recommend that you keep track of the included Resident Evil Re:Verse download code or add it to your account now so that you are ready to play when the game launches next year.

— Resident Evil (@RE_Games) July 15, 2021

Re:Verse is effectively a separate deathmatch mode in which between four and six players pick a Resident Evil character and duke it out in short battles. When you die, you return as a zombie. The player with the most points after five minutes wins.

Game development is a complex process where all manner of things can go wrong. We've seen time and time again that delays are often necessary, especially amid the impact of COVID-19. Pushing back Re:Verse by at least six months at the last minute is a curious case, though. A lengthy delay indicates the game isn't close to being ready despite the July release window.

Although it's an add on for a main-series Resident Evil game, the delay will be disappointing to those who were looking forward to Re:Verse. Still, it's better to have a game that arrives late and works properly from the jump rather than one that needs months of post-launch hotfixes and larger patches to squish bugs.