Arc System Works and Cygames have announced that Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising has been delayed.
The upcoming fighter was originally scheduled to launch on November 30th, but will instead now arrive on December 14th, with the Early Access period beginning on December 11th.
That Early Access period is distinct from the recently-announced open beta, however, which will still go ahead as normal.
Creative director Tetsuya Fukuhara says that the delay is intended to give the development team “additional time…to put the finishing touches on the game”.
According to Fukuhara-san, the changes aired during the team’s Balance and System Adjustments stream, which was held in October, were met with an “overwhelmingly positive reception”.
However, those changes will affect large swathes of Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, which means the team will need “two more weeks of polish and debugging”, according to Fukuhara-san.
As well as the game itself, Granblue Showcase: Part 2 has also been delayed. It’ll now air on December 2nd, having originally been penciled in for late November.
If you’re not familiar with Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, it’s a sequel to 2020’s Granblue Fantasy: Versus.
The game will feature expanded gameplay mechanics, more simplified inputs and combos, and new characters, including Siegfried, Nier, and Grimnir.
In addition, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising will also feature rollback netcode, making the online experience more smooth, as well as crossplay between PlayStation and PC.
If you want to check the game out ahead of its December release, the next open beta begins on November 9th.
It’ll give you the chance to try out 26 of Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising‘s characters, including Siegfried, although Grimnir and Nier won’t be playable.
You’ll also get to try out online play against other players, as well as the rather endearing-looking Fall Guys-esque Grand Bruise Legends minigame.
Stay tuned for more news on Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising.
