Watch Dogs delayed to Spring 2014

Ubisoft has announced that it is delaying the release date for its upcoming sci-fi open-world game Watch Dogs. The company released a statement regarding the announcement, where it stated that the game’s release is being pushed back from the original November release date on all platforms, including PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, back to some time in Spring 2014.

That’s a big delay

“We know a lot of you are probably wondering ‘why now?’ We struggled with whether we would delay the game,” said the company in the statement. “But from the beginning, we have adopted the attitude that we will not compromise on quality. As we got closer to release, as all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place in our last push before completion, it became clear to us that we needed to take the extra time to polish and fine tune every detail so we can deliver a truly memorable and exceptional experience.”

The company also presumably didn’t want to launch a new IP so close to not only the launch of a new game in its flagship Assassin’s Creed franchise, but also to the record-shattering monstrosity that has been Grand Theft Auto 5. The company is presumably hoping for the hype for at least one of these games to die down before it launches a new open-world game.

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Thankfully, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is still on track for release and will be hitting stores on October 29. It will be available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at launch. The next-gen consoles and PC will be getting the game in November.