Path of Exile Delay Sparks Joking Frenzy: Is the Game’s Life Support in Jeopardy?

The Challenges of Simultaneously Developing Two Live-Service Games: A Path of Exile Perspective

When Path of Exile 2 launched in Early Access last year, fans of the action-RPG series were promised that work would still continue on the first game, which was due to have its 3.26 update go live. However, months later, the studio behind both games, Grinding Gear, has revealed why that didn’t happen and given a glimpse into the challenges of simultaneously developing two live-service games.

The Impact of PoE 2‘s Early Access Launch

In a recent community update, game director Jonathan Rogers explained that the team’s best intentions and planning were derailed by the massive workload required to fix issues in PoE 2‘s endgame content during the holiday season and beyond. This meant that the team couldn’t dedicate the necessary resources to PoE 1‘s next league, a fresh reboot of its world, until PoE 2‘s Early Access launch was stabilized.

The Delays and Challenges

Rogers outlined how the timing for shipping PoE 1‘s next league was torpedoed by PoE 2‘s Early Access launch. The team didn’t want to ship PoE 1‘s update at the same time as PoE 2‘s Early Access, and then PoE 2 was delayed by a few weeks, taking developers off PoE 1 to help with the sequel. After that, the successful but buggy Early Access launch further complicated matters.

The Decision to Prioritize PoE 2

Rogers admitted that it was a mistake to take developers off PoE 1‘s update to support PoE 2‘s Early Access launch. He said, "How could I justify taking some of the most experienced developers we have off PoE 2 when it’s on fire?" The team realized they needed to prioritize PoE 2‘s development and fix the issues before moving on to PoE 1‘s next update.

The Road Ahead

Grinding Gear Games still plans to support both games simultaneously, but it will take time to figure out the best approach. Rogers apologized for the delays and acknowledged that it will be a couple of months before PoE 1‘s next update is ready. The community’s patience and understanding will be crucial in the coming weeks.

Key Takeaways

• PoE 2‘s Early Access launch had a significant impact on PoE 1‘s development schedule.
• The team prioritized PoE 2‘s development to fix issues and ensure a stable Early Access launch.
• PoE 1‘s next update is delayed, and the community will need to wait a couple of months for it to be ready.
• Grinding Gear Games still plans to support both games simultaneously, but it will take time to figure out the best approach.