Haze delayed again, to clear in next fiscal year

by Jason Dobson { Jan 23rd 2008 at 1:17PM }

The name chosen for developer Free Radical's oft-delayed FPS Haze has become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. While we were almost ready to get excited for the game to make its retail debut sometime before April, publisher Ubisoft broke news (and gamers' hearts) today by once more pushing the game out until an unspecified time during the coming 2008-09 fiscal year (read: after April).

The game's release date has become something of a running gag in certain circles, with Haze originally expected for the holidays before being brushed aside for what we were told was a final bit of spit polish. It would seem, however, from this latest news that Haze was in fact more sullied than previously believed. If there is one ray of sunshine to cast on this gloom it's that the delay has caused Ubisoft to raise its guidance for coming fiscal year to €1 billion (or nearly $1.5 billion in Earth currency) up from the €975 million previously forecast – though we're doubtful that Ubi's financial wherewithal will comfort those of you who have been told once again to wait your turn.

Tags: delay, free-radical, FreeRadical, haze, release, ubi, ubisoft

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Ted @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:26PM

Cool picture... I wonder what happened to his helmet O_o

deaftly @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:27PM

the ol penis in the eye trick

FOXHOUND @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:59PM

It looks like suckling too much nectar effs up your teeth too.

"DENTAL PLAN! LISA NEEDS BRACES!"

LaughingTarget @ Jan 23rd 2008 5:13PM

Yes, the PS3 can be blamed. Sony decided to go with a radically new and complicated design with their new system. Since no one has particularly been chosen as the best current gen HD system, the only real option to properly canvas the market is to cross platform everything. Since it is fairly clear, even among those who try brushing it off as lazy (lazy and costing more are two different creatures), is the PS3 is not as developer friendly as the 360. Since timed releases are usually bad for the one released last, 360 gets the delay while the PS3 version gets finished up.

Had Sony not been so high on Kutaragi's hot gas coming out his ears, they'd realize that building a monster that causes development headaches is a bad idea and would not have to deal with these delays.

Vidikron (FU) @ Jan 23rd 2008 5:17PM

Except you're still just speculating here. It could be anything.

dishwasher @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:27PM

Delaystaion 3: This is still waiting.

SUPER DESU @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:34PM

My, how original. Did you come up with that one all by yourself?

AstronautDinosaurFiretruck @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:35PM

Umm, it was delayed for 360 too since it won't come out on the 360 until it's been out on the ps3 for a while.

RPGJock @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:38PM

@dishwasher

Splinter Cell: Convictions says hello....

Ubisoft is the new Take Two...

Mike @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:40PM

It's a Ubi title moron. Sony is not the maker of this game. Again we blame the scapegoat aka PS3 for something it did not do.

MY CAR WAS STOLEN EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON. IT'S ALL THE PS3'S FAULT! SH*T!!!

NATO_Duke @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:47PM

Dude - Rule #1 in gaming: Never let Sony borrow your car.

Boostjunkie @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:45PM

It's hard to make a PS3 game that comes out on time. The rumor is that's why GTA was delayed so long, to get it running properly on the PS3. To get a PS3 game to look as good or slightly better than a 360 game, such as with Burnout, it takes some real time and commitment on the part of the developer.

ninxf @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:58PM

@Boostjunkie - So the fact that when GTA4 was previewed (running on the Xbox360), most reviewers said that it felt empty and incomplete is the fault of the PS3? Using that logic I guess it's also in the best interest of Take-Two (who I believe was having financial troubles) to delay the game due to PS3 issues instead of releasing it on just the 360 for the holidays.

dishwasher @ Jan 24th 2008 5:06AM

maybe if the PS3 wasnt unpossible to develope for the games wouldnt get delayed.

BananaBoat @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:31PM

It's times like this that make me want to get a refund on my PS3. Seriously.

deaftly @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:36PM

One thing i like about having both a 360 and a ps3. The good multi platform games are always sold out on 360 the first week or so, im always guaranteed a copy for ps3.

Fernando Rocker @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:35PM

Since 2006 I keep hearing: "just wait until Lair... just wait until Ratchet, just wait until Heavenly... just wait until Haze..."

Well... keep waiting until blah blah blah....

simmcity @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:39PM

dude, your seriously repeating yourself too much. People are right when they call you a broken record.

RPGJock @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:40PM

Lucky for us Nintendo hasn't delayed any games...

Now where is that copy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

Vidikron (FU) @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:40PM

Since 2006 I just keep hearing the same old shit from you too.

Jimwack @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:52PM

One month hardly compares to a full year, or in this case, TBA.

FidliousWong @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:14PM

Guys, leave Fernando alone. Maybe these few phrases he keeps repeating is the extent of the english he knows.

Prince King @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:18PM

sir

i may not agree with what you say (as a ps3 fanboy) but i will defend your right to say it.

why do people get mad whenever fernando says something bad about the ps3? why does anyone care? if fernando doesnt like the system, its ok. he is not going to prevent people from buying the system. he is not going to assist in delaying games. let him speak how he feels because it should not be important to you

Cellien @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:29PM

What Fernando said was true, whether you like it or not. People were constantly saying "Wait till _____!" The games have come and gone and some have been good, and some were stinkers. His point remains that PS3 has yet to really bust out with an undeniable in-your-face title. I'm confident one will come though.

deaftly @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:29PM

Fernando is the Britney Spears of the internet. Learn to be quiet you attention whore.

FidliousWong @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:31PM

Prince, evidence of the hatred can be found here...

http://www.blogsmith.com/profile/1466682/

Less than half the time, he adds something relevant or witty. The rest of the time, he's either calling people newbies to gaming or bashing Sony. He knows what behavior gets him jumped, so he knows how he can change. Don't defend someone who willingly jumps into the deep end with a fear of drowning.

Personally, he's annoying but so are many others. So I just laugh at the really dumb comments like above.

Leobebes @ Jan 23rd 2008 3:37PM

He has a point. I have nothing against the PS3 but all this anti PS3 hate is just reactionary revenge by those who were ridiculed for being early adopters on the 360 and saying they purchased an xbox 1.5. They were saying things like wait and see for the PS3 it will blow the 360 out of the water, well here we are almost two years later and instead of the PS3 blowing the shit out of the 360 there is argument in some circles as to which version looks better...

How is that possible? They keep telling us to wait...wait...wait to see the potential of the PS3 be unleashed unto the hungry public, but alas nothing has been released that says it can only be done on the PS3. Let's face it the PS3 is the same machine under the hood as the xbox 360 it just has an overhyped processor and Blue Ray. Thanks for lying to the general public and making those early adopting xbox 360 owners feel like crap.

chris @ Jan 23rd 2008 8:29PM

Your dumb.

Mullinsmcd @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:35PM

Man, this is really bad for everyone (not just PS3 owners). This delay will not add more hype or increase the demand for this game. It will definitely stifle it. With other great shooters coming out this year I'm afraid that this will get lost in the shuffle (just like UT3 did last year). With graphics outshined by Killzone and co-op functionality doubled in Resistance 2, I can't see this selling big if its released anywhere near those 2 titles. That means bad news for X360 gamers too in regards to Ubi not meeting expectations financially. If they stop taking risks, we'll be stuck with Assassins Creed 2 in '09 and Rabbids 3,4,5,6,7,8 in the meantime :(

FidliousWong @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:11PM

First, it's Free Radical. While it may not be the prettiest girl at the ball, she's the most fun.

Second, Resistance's coop is 2 player split, 8 player online. Haze is four player split, big difference.

Trev @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:44PM

I wonder if its a technical reason or if Ubi just wanted to bump it to the next fiscal year. Since it was scheduled for March, it seems unlikely that it was technical, considering they have at least a month to work on it.

Beatz @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:47PM

Looks like the release date has become even more...wait for it....haze-y.

Jerk Face @ Jan 23rd 2008 3:19PM

That comment had extra Win-sauce on top!

ViagraFiend @ Jan 23rd 2008 4:05PM

That comment about his comment is dripping with lose ooze.

nerrrrrrd @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:47PM

Now I know who's behind the mask... DUKE NUKEM!!!!

Stupidiot @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:48PM

Has the final release date for Duke Nukem Forever been announced yet?

colin @ Jan 23rd 2008 7:03PM

duke nukem forever will come out the same day as the second coming of jesus christ as foretold in the book of revelation.

so, you'd better go ahead and get that preorder in.

LiK @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:49PM

as long as the final game is good, i can wait. i got so many games in my backlog....

jsn @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:54PM

such a huge loss..... this game was going to be so unique. haze... nectar...dudes in black and yellow bee-like costumes... what ever shall I do?

Jimwack @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:56PM

Seriously though, they shouldn't even bother mentioning release dates anymore until something is nearly complete .

I rather not know, and not think about it, then have false hope.

AmishPhysicist @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:12PM

I totally agree. I saw some ad in EGM about a game that was dropping on a specific day in April or something and the first thing I thought was "fat chance". I ended up being more distracted by their proposed date than anything else in the ad. Whoops.

RPGJock @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:58PM

Notice I am taking shots at the gentlemen who is crying Delaystation, or shots at games being pushed back. Ok, how many game have been pushed back on ALL platforms now. Lets see...

Too Human = January 2006, 2007, 2008,????
Metal Gear Solid 4 = November, March, Q2 2008
SSBB = Nov 2007, Dec 2007, Feb. 2008, March 2008, ??
GTA4 = Oct 2007, March 2008, Q2 2008
Spore = 2006, 2007, 2008, ????

This isn't new to any platform. Games get pushed for one reason or another. The topic here is why was it delayed. To strength est profits for 08-09, Assassins Creed incredible success, true development problems/bug removal or something that we haven't heard of. Maybe they want to wait for GTA4/MGS4 to come out for the hopes that more systems will be there to sell it on.

FidliousWong @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:13PM

Yay! I get to correct a Too Human point....

Too Human = Q4 1999, Q2 2000, Q4 2000, January 2006, 2007, 2008,????

Organic_Shadow @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:05PM

So wait. Since it's not going to come out BEFORE April, it automatically means AFTER April? How does that work? Is April a month no games are allowed to be released in? Last time I checked several are coming out in April...

Great way to ANALyze.

xFenixKnightx @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:14PM

Man I was just looking at this game today on gametrailers and I was impressed with the visuals in the jungle. Well this really is suxville because I was seriously thinking of picking it up =( Hope we dont have another generic shooter like that Timeshift crap on our hands. Maybe they are reworking the story??

Wait, I know! They want to release it the same day as Gears of War 2....yeah that would be a grrreat idea!!
lolz!!

john paul @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:18PM

still think this is a blacksite/timeshift

Vidikron (FU) @ Jan 23rd 2008 4:01PM

Blacksite and Timeshift are actually quite far apart in quality. Blacksite just outright sucks in almost every way. Timeshift is a great looking game that wound up being somewhat generic. I've played both and couldn't even be bother to continue Blacksite after about 30 minutes. I finished TimeShift and actually enjoyed it. Just saying....

BIGGEN @ Jan 23rd 2008 4:23PM

did you play timeshift multiplayer? dear lord it was horrendous. and by horrendous, i mean better than halo3, HA!

Vidikron (FU) @ Jan 23rd 2008 4:30PM

@BIGGEN

Nah... I only played through single player campaign. I tend to focus on just 1 or 2 MP games at a time. Wasn't interested in TimeShift's MP. Like I said though, I enjoyed single player. It's no BioSkock by any means, but it's a LOT better than Blacksite.