The one thing we really learned during the Summer Games Fest was that everybody is very afraid to compete with Grand Theft Auto VI. It makes sense, given the juggernaut status of the game, but in this we have seen yet another problem: the number of developers who sought to avoid the November release of that game by choosing September instead. Over the last week, we saw game after game announce a September release date, making that month almost as bad for exposure as November would have. One such game, the action RPGÂ Valor Mortis, is now set to receive a brief delay to avoid the crowded September release window.
Valor Motis will now be released in October, in a much less crowded space, to try to gain some distance for itself. October saw some announcements itself, another month, developers are trying to eke out some distance, but the biggest title here is arguably Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. This is compared to releasing alongside Marvel’s Wolverine, Control Resonant, Silent Hill: Townfall, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and The Dawn of the Bloodwalker, just to name a few. As such, Valor Mortis will now release on October 13th, three weeks from its initial planned release date.
In a Statement concerning this move, developer One More Level stated:
September has become absolutely stacked with incredible-looking games. We knew this was a possibility, but when you’re in a partner showcase as we were, dates get locked in advance.
We want to give Valor Mortis (and your wallet) some room to breathe.
When speaking with Stephen Totilo of Game File, it was noted that this date was initially chosen because of how clear it looked (at the time it was). Then, during the same week of events, they announced their release date; both Control Resonant and Silent Hill: Townfall were announced as having the same release date. Complicating things further, Onimusha: Way of the Sword was announced for the 25th. Capcom is on a roll this year, having already seen success with Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, so being in that proximity, especially as a new IP, is not great.
This decision was made almost immediately after, but was withheld until after the Nintendo Direct, just in case there was some major shift to the October landscape. Black Rochkind, head of publishing at Lyrical Games, stated:
As soon as Control announced September 24th, we knew we were moving the date. Candidly, I think Control looks like it might be a Game of the Year contender.
Valor Mortis is a first-person action game with soulslike RPG elements from the development team behind the Ghostrunner games. Players take the role of a resurrected British soldier in an alternate timeline where Napoleon Bonaparte’s endless war has awoken a plague that turns people into monsters and zombie-like aberrations. It will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Pc.
Remember to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Bluesky to keep up to date on everything we have going on!
