EA has done the unthinkable by delaying two of its most important video games. One will launch later in 2014, and the other pushed back to 2015. The titles in question are Battlefield Hardline, and Dragon Age: Inquisition. We can understand the reason to delay Hardline, but delaying the new Dragon Age game seems to be a bit on the strange side.
Battlefield Hardline is developed by Visceral Games, the same folks who develops the Dead Space series. Hardline is seen as a different approach to the Battlefield franchise since it is designed around cops and robbers. From what we have seen from the beta, it is possible the game will feature no tanks, jets, and other iconic vehicles from the franchise.
According to EA, the reason for the delay into 2015 is due to feedback from gamers,
"This feedback also spurred us to start thinking about other possibilities and ways we could push Hardline innovation further and make the game even better. The more we thought about these ideas, the more we knew we had to get them into the game you will all be playing. However, there was only one problem. We would need more time. Time that we didn't have if we decided to move forward with launching in just a couple of months," according to Karl Magnus Troedsson DICE VP & Group GM.
Several gamers have claimed that EA should have released Hardline as an expansion pack to Battlefield 4 because it feels like a step backwards. Such arguments could be one of the reasons why EA has chosen to delay the game into 2015, in order to give Battlefield fans something to appreciate.
When it comes down to Dragon Age: Inquisition, we can't pinpoint why EA would delay the game. This may be due to low pre-order numbers, or development on the game has seen some hardships in recent times.
The Destiny effect
Destiny is shaping up to be the largest video game launch of 2014, and the way gamers and critics alike have been talking about the title, we are certain it is overshadowing Battlefield Hardline and Dragon Age: Inquisition. In a situation like this where both Destiny and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare are scheduled to launch in the latter parts of 2014, it would make perfect sense to delay Hardline into 2015 instead of going up against these juggernauts.
In terms of Battlefield Hardline, we seriously believe it has a lot to do with gamer reaction than anything else. We've played it, and we don't see the sense of it all. This will be explained in our preview of the multiplayer beta.
