GTA 6 strikes again as anticipated RPG delays to January one day before launch

One day before launch, upcoming action-RPG Emberville has delayed its release by nearly three months.

The RPG was originally set for an early access launch on October 27, 2026, but a surprise announcement has pushed the game back to January,

Developer Cygnus Cross says that feedback from the Steam Next Fest demo has prompted the delay, which was announced yesterday.

"We know this is very short notice, with launch just a day away. After extensive discussions within the team, we have made the difficult decision to postpone Emberville’s Early Access release," the announcement reads on Steam.

"Many of you have played our Steam Next Fest demo and shared your feedback. This means a great deal to us, and we immediately started planning more improvements. However, some of the improvements we want to make are systems changes that can't be done quickly. Reworking bow combat, for example, would take more time than we had before our Early Access release even though the team is working around the clock."

The developer then shares that it decided to move the release date back so it could include some "essential improvements in the Early Access launch build."

It added: "We understand that this will be disappointing for those of you who were ready to buy the game. While we could have simply released the game now, we feel that it wouldn’t be up to our standards and to your high expectations of us."

Read More: GTA 6 gets upstaged as PS2 remaster announces physical disc edition

Emberville will now launch in January 2027

Emberville will now be launching on January 7, 2027, with a "clear vision" for how it will develop throughout early access.

Cygnus Cross ends the announcement by teasing "regular updates, both large and small," with new content based on the community's feedback and suggestions.

Emberville is an ARPG played from a top-down view, which has been described as a mix of Diablo and Stardew Valley.

In it, you explore the depths of a vast underground dungeon where you battle dangerous creatures, rescue survivors, and rebuild a ruined town all while uncovering an overarching mystery.

There's no doubt that the Grand Theft Auto VI curse has struck again. Although Cygnus Cross does not mention GTA VI in the announcement, with so many eyes on the imminent release of Rockstar Games' next title, many developers have pushed their games back to 2027 to get some more breathing room.

Other games such as Fable, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and Lords of the Fallen 2 have each delayed their releases to next year to avoid the marketing black hole that is GTA VI's launch period.

For Emberville specifically, it sounds like fixing the bugs and issues may be the best priority here, but launching the game during a quieter period may also help to get more eyes on it.

Read More: GTA 6 Online may have competition as Saints Row 'AI slop' drops today