Take Two Made My Little Sister Late

This makes me very sad to say, but it looks like the original release date of Late October of this year is no longer for BioShock 2. In fact a solid release date is no longer anywhere attached to BioShock 2 any more. Just a time frame. A year long time frame at that too. With only the excuse of needing to take extra time to give towards development time for the title.

This places the sequel around 3 years after the original release on the PC and XBox and only 2 years since the PS3 launch. Which when you look at it, it is not too bad. At least as the wait goes. Especially since they are stating that Take Two is taking the time to develop things. Most likely meaning that they are perfecting the new Multiplayer mode for the game. In a gaming industry where multiplayer is king, they would be bashed harder than a Big Daddy could ever do if the multiplayer failed for the franchise.

Here is the sad press release and a bit more explanation.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Provides Financial Update

Launch of BioShock® 2 Now Planned for Fiscal 2010 Conference Call Set for 4:45 pm ET Today

NEW YORK --(Business Wire)-- July 13, 2009 Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO) today announced revised revenue and earnings guidance for fiscal 2009.

Take-Two is reducing its fiscal 2009 guidance to reflect several factors, most significant of which is the movement of the launch of BioShock 2 from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2010, in order to provide additional development time for the title. Additionally, Take-Two is updating third quarter and fourth quarter fiscal 2009 guidance to reflect reduced sales of catalog products and lower than anticipated initial retailer orders of new releases, due to a retail environment that is proving even more challenging than the Company’s previous expectations.

Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two, stated, “We recognize that our revised outlook for the balance of fiscal year 2009, due to both internal and external factors, is a disappointment. That said, we concluded that moving the release of BioShock 2 into fiscal year 2010 was the right decision for the product. We believe the result will be a more compelling consumer experience and a better performing product in the marketplace. At the same time, near term retail conditions have proven to be more challenging for our business than the assumptions built into our prior outlook. We remain confident in the long term potential for Take-Two’s business, and our ability to capitalize on that potential through our exceptional creative talent and solid balance sheet.”

Ben Feder, Chief Executive Officer of Take-Two, commented, “The decision to shift a release date is never an easy one, especially with a product as highly anticipated as BioShock 2. We felt that it was essential to invest the additional time to ensure that this title will deliver what its fans expect and deserve. As a result, we will now be launching sequels to several of our strongest franchises - including BioShock 2, Mafia II, Max Payne 3 and Red Dead Redemption - during the next fiscal year. These titles will anchor our lineup for fiscal 2010, and along with other products planned for next year, provide a platform for enhanced financial performance in what we hope will be an improved retail environment.”