It was only a little over a month ago when we learned the release date for Ubisoft’s revival of The Settlers, the classic RTS city builder. And while it was originally marked for a March release, that appears to no longer be the case.
The studio has announced on their official Twitter account that they will be delaying the launch of the game, with no timeframe provided for a new release date. They stated that the delay decision came after the closed beta, which brought to light various issues.
Originally, the game was set to release on March 17, 2022. Hearing them announce a delay so close to this date is surprising, to say the least. They implied it was due to closed beta feedback, but didn’t detail what exactly the issue was. So I dug a bit and found out.
As it turns out, the general response to the closed beta was bad. Not on a technical point, but on a game design point. The Settlers franchise was always praised for the complexity in the city management aspect, veteran players often complemented the detailed supply lines of the games. None of that was present in the beta. Many folks found the game had been diluted and simplified, comparing it more to a lighter Age of Empires than a city builder.
Admittedly, I was concerned for the game back in January. Granted, I was concerned about something called a One-Day Shard Booster, implying the existence of microtransactions (which has no place in a full priced video game, in my opinion). Them having dumbed down the core gameplay mechanics wasn’t even on my mind at the time. Even so, with everything that’s happened so far, I have little faith that The Settlers 2022 will be worthwhile.
