A lot of people expected that The Last Guardian would never come out, so when it was delayed one final time this year, it was almost expected. The delay showed that development wasn’t exactly smooth for the ambitious title at any time, from beginning to end. So, what exactly caused that delay?
Thankfully we now know why the game was delayed thanks to Sony product manager Joe Palmer. Here’s what he told MCV about the game’s final delay coming down to The Last Guardian bugs:
“Unfortunately, the studio encountered more bugs than anticipated while in the final stages of development. The Last Guardian is an incredibly important game for fans and Sony alike, so the final delay was put into place to give the team the extra time to work on those issues, ensuring that the game delivers on the experience that the creators have envisioned.”
That delay definitely worked and Ueda and Team ICO’s full vision can definitely be seen in the finished product. That product, however, isn’t exactly what many would consider marketable to a wide audience. Thankfully, Palmer discussed the difficulty of marketing a game like The Last Guardian (which Sony has been doing in a variety of ways):
“You won’t see Trico bursting out of X-factor TV spots or wrapping London buses across the country, there’s a sizeable marketing campaign for the launch of The Last Guardian. The core audience is reached easiest through data-driven online means, so the campaign is heavily weighted towards digital. Where we’ve invested in broader mediums, we’ve tried to remain relevant by tailoring our creative and only picking the right environments.”
There’s a lot more great insight from Palmer offered in the interview, so be sure to check it out.
(Source: MCV)
