Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game has suffered a shock delay on Xbox just hours before it was due to come out, sparking a backlash from fans.
The Paramount Games Studio-published fighting game, developed by Gameplay Group International, was due out today, July 23, across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, PC via Steam, and Nintendo Switch.
But in a note to fans published just a few hours ago, Paramount said the Switch version will be available as the Standard Edition only, and crossplay with other platforms and language localization beyond English will not be available. “We are committed to bringing these features, along with upgrading to Deluxe Edition, to players as soon as possible and will keep you updated on our timeline and progress,” Paramount said.
But it’s an even worse situation for Xbox fans, who have seen the game in its entirety delayed to September 3 — a 6-week wait that sets Xbox players back significantly on the competitive front. Paramount failed to say exactly what the issue was, speaking in vague terms to say it was due to “unforeseen circumstances on a backend feature.”
“For the Xbox community, we are forced to delay the release,” Paramount said. “Due to unforeseen circumstances on a backend feature, we will now launch by September 3. Existing preorders will remain active and will not be canceled.
“Our priority is delivering the best possible experience on every platform and we are working tirelessly to make that happen. Thank you for your patience, understanding and continued support. We’re excited to get everyone into the fight as soon as possible. Tune in here for updates as we have them.”
As you’d expect, Xbox gamers have reacted negatively to the news, with many of the replies highly critical of Paramount.
“F**k your game!” replied one person. “Delaying your game HOURS before release on XBOX is horrible management. Zero excuses. You should’ve known this WELL IN ADVANCE. Keep your game, not buying it. Was looking forward to it so much as an Avatar TLA fan.”
“Delaying an anticipated game by a month and a half less than 24 hours before release is actually insane,” said another. “Do better, @ParamountGames.”
“All my Xbox homies should get a free deluxe upgrade because this here is some bs of the highest degree. Xbox friends, please get your refunds,” another said.
“Wtf do you mean ‘existing preorders will remain active and will not be canceled?’ Watch this ticket support go through,” one person said. “There’s no reason to make such an announcement with less than 24 hours till release. That’s ridiculous.”
“Damn.. not sure to get the game now,” another added. “I’d rather just wait another month then. It just hurts the experience for everyone if not all of the potential player base is there.”
“Unforeseen circumstances on a backend feature isn’t good enough,” another person said. “Explain the situation, this is terrible comms guys and you know that.”
“This is ridiculous man. This literally killed all the hype I had for this game. I rather get folded week of release and not after a month once everyone else knows their strings, especially for the characters that weren’t in the beta,” another said.
It’s highly unusual for a video game to be delayed so close to release, doubly so for only certain versions. And it’s a real shame for what was looking like a promising fighting game. While PC and PS5 players will carry on regardless, the overall pool of players available for crossplay matchmaking is now hamstrung at release. Will Xbox gamers wait until early September, or simply decide against buying the game at all?
And then there’s the note about existing preorders remaining and not being canceled. Based on the comments I’ve seen from Xbox gamers, that statement is sure to be tested.
Avatar Legends had suffered from delays before today’s announcement. It was once due out July 2, but was delayed to July 23 to add “brand new content previously unplanned.” It has also endured a troubled journey to launch. Gameplay Group was founded by Victor Lugo, who was for a time lead designer at Iron Galaxy working on Killer Instinct, and Philip Mayes, who was managing director of Australian games company Mighty Kingdom, which has a number of licensed games under its belt. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game was in the works at Swedish firm Maximum Entertainment for some time before it was quietly canceled in 2024, according to a financial report. The company never responded to IGN’s request for comment. Gameplay Group then picked up the Avatar fighting game Maximum Entertainment was working on to try to revive it.
You might remember Maximum Entertainment for its publishing label, Modus Games, abruptly ceasing development on 2D fighting game Them’s Fightin’ Herds, sparking a backlash from players. Maximum Entertainment has suffered financial problems, executive resignations, and legal action against former board members.
Some relatively well-known fighting game developers worked at Maximum Entertainment while it was developing this Avatar fighting game. The most high profile is Mike Zaimont, who was design director on fighting game Skullgirls. Zaimont, now design director at Maximum Entertainment, was previously accused of sexual harassment while boss of Lab Zero Games. He went on to work on Diesel Legacy: The Brazen Age, a 2v2 indie fighter from Modus Games (the same publisher of Them’s Fightin’ Herds). Gameplay Group is listed as the publisher of Diesel Legacy and Them’s Fightin’ Herds, as was the publisher of Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game before Paramount’s newly-formed video game company stepped in to help get it across the line.
IGN’s Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game review returned an 8/10. We said: “Despite some puzzling omissions and a lackluster story mode, Avatar Legends is a fighting game fan’s dream, with a diverse roster, an incredibly flexible combat system that rewards precision and creativity, and some of the coolest looking combos around.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
