UberTag
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2014 (4 of the Top 10 / 7 of the Top 20 were delayed to 2015-17)At least 4 of the games on this list were on last year's list so we should start predicting the delays now.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
6. Xenoblade Chronicles X
7. The Order: 1886
8. Persona 5
14. Tom Clancy's The Division
18. Halo 5
20. The Witness
2015 (4 of the Top 10 / 7 of the Top 20 were delayed to 2016-??)
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
6. Persona 5
8. No Man's Sky
12. Rime
17. Star Fox Zero
18. Quantum Break
2016 (4 of the Top 10 / 6 of the Top 20 were delayed to 2017-??)
2. Persona 5
3. Horizon: Zero Dawn
4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
6. Mass Effect: Andromeda
12. NieR: Automata
19. Scalebound
Now this year's list - by contrast - seems destined to hold up significantly by comparison thanks in large part to Nintendo's self-imposed media blackout, Sony's intentional teasing of games while no longer promising unrealistic release windows and Microsoft's overall lack of promising exclusives (at least within this community).
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo's prevailing focus on showcasing this title at last year's E3 indicates a clear resolution they intend to ship this game before June... although it may well miss the Switch launch.
2. Persona 5
This game has been out in Japan for 4 months already. Even with Atlus USA's recent stated release windows slipping for the localization, it would be ludicrous to think they'll slip much further. April 4th seems like a nice release window.
4. Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar's radio silence, track record of quality and absence of major releases since GTA V in September 2013 has earned them a guaranteed Top 10 placing for RDR2 until its release. Grand Theft Auto V only had a single delay within the release year back in 2013 so it would have only had a single opportunity to appear on one of these lists had they been running back then. They have a designed marketing cycle and don't tend to set dates they can't meet. And given that the RDR2 announcement trailer has even had some TV airtime, I'm not even comfortable saying that it's "likely" to miss the 2017 release window even if it is the "most likely" of the Top 10 outside of...
10. Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
I'm pretty confident this game will be releasing in Japan in 2017... especially given the new footage showcased during the PlayStation Experience presser. That said, I'm less confident about it releasing outside of Japan in 2017. I suspect localization delays will bump it to next year.
I don't know if it's a case of "sleeping on For Honor" so much as 2017 being SO front-loaded with other games that it's getting lost in the shuffle amongst enthusiast gamers even if it could very well wind up as the best seller out of everything over the next three months given Ubisoft's inevitably successful marketing campaign. Their track record launching new IPs in mainstream appealing genres is second to none.So many people sleeping on For Honor...