Valor Mortis Delayed Briefly to Dodge September's Game Release Crush

Action RPG Valor Mortis has conceded defeat in the September gaming arms race and announced a short delay. Last week, it became clear that September will be one of the most crowded months for video game releases in history, as most games aim to launch before GTA 6 drops like an atomic bomb. A few exceptions, like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 in October, exist, but most titles want to avoid the blast radius of GTA 6. However, the sheer volume of September releases means the situation is hardly better for some games. As a result, Valor Mortis—which announced its release date on Sunday—has pushed into October for a better shot. The game will now arrive on October 13th. "We want to give Valor Mortis (and your wallet) some room to breathe," said developer One More Level in a statement. Speaking with Stephen Totilo from Game File, the team noted they originally chose September 24th because it looked clear—until Control Resonant and Silent Hill: Townfall picked the same day. To make matters worse, Onimusha: Way of the Sword lands the next day, September 25th. "As soon as Control announced September 24th, we knew we were moving the date," said Blake Rochkind, head of publisher at Lyrical Games. "Candidly, I think Control looks like it might be a Game of the Year contender." Rochkind immediately messaged the dev team about changing the date and strategically picked a new one that wouldn't face heavy competition, but held the announcement until after the Nintendo Direct to ensure no major games landed on their new date. From the creators of Ghostrunner, Valor Mortis is a first-person soulslike where you rise from death as a former soldier of Napoleon’s army, only to die repeatedly battling shambling corpses and wild monsters. You can get a rundown on Valor Mortis in our recent preview.