Console launches are infamous for the underwhelming launch games that come along with them. Developers just don’t have enough time to spend with the system to know its strengths and weaknesses before having to release their first next-gen titles, but this holiday season is looking even more grim than usual as delays have begun pushing some of the most exciting games out of the release window for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Earlier this week, Ubisoft announced that both Watch Dogs and The Crew would be delayed deep into 2014, two multi-platform games that had gamers buzzing at E3. Watch Dogs might have been the most anticipated third-party title for either console, and before the delay had a November 19th release date, right between the PS4 and Xbox One launches.
To make matters worse, Sony confirmed on Friday that Driveclub, a first-party racing title that was going to be free for PlayStation Plus subscribers, has slipped into 2014 as well. Come November, Sony and Microsoft are going to be competing for and advertising to the same customers, so losing a console exclusive could potentially have an effect on PS4 sales. Although the Driveclub delay should be especially worrying for Sony, delays in general are not a good sign for an industry that has seen a steady decline in sales as this generation of consoles lasted even longer than the ones before it.
