Gravity Rush 2 delayed to January 18 in Europe, January 19 in Japan, and January 20 in the Americas

Sony Interactive Entertainment has delayed Gravity Rush 2 from its previously planned early December release. The PlayStation 4 game will now launch on January 18 in Europe, January 19 in Japan, and January 20 in the Americas and the United Kingdom.

According to Gravity Rush 2 director Keiichiro Toyama, while production is “proceeding smoothly,” the “landscape” for the game’s original release date has “changed dramatically.” This is likely referring to both Final Fantasy XV and The Last Guardian being delayed to just days before and after Gravity Rush 2‘s original release date.

To make up for the delay, Sony Interactive Entertainment said it will release the premium downloadable content it was planning for Gravity Rush 2 free of charge.

Find the full message from Toyama below:

In July, we announced a release date for Gravity Rush 2 that we felt most appropriate for the title. Since then, though production is proceeding smoothly, the landscape for that release date has changed dramatically.

Gravity Rush 2 is the conclusion of Kat’s journey, so we want players to have enough time to dive deep into her story. In addition, as a lot of work went into online features that allow for asynchronous player interaction, we want as many people as possible playing the title at the same time. Thus, after careful deliberation, we have decided to change the release date. Gravity Rush 2 will now launch on January 20, 2017 (Americas).

I would like to apologize to all those players anxiously awaiting Gravity Rush 2. After four years of development making a title we are very proud of, we want to release it at the very best time.

In exchange for the longer wait, we have decided to release the premium DLC planned for the title free of charge. This additional story will take place in the world of Gravity Rush 2 and we think fans will have a lot of fun playing through it.

As we move into the holiday season and the New Year, we have many more exciting things in store, including more information about the title and the special animated feature. Please keep an eye out for more on Gravity Rush 2, and thank you again for all your support.

If you missed it, catch the latest gameplay footage here.

Thanks, PlayStation Blog U.S., Europe, and Japan.