Update #43: Estimated release in 2018

I actually consider this good news. To me this shows IGA doesn't want to rush something out that is basically a paid ALPHA/BETA. You have my support IGA and team!

　
What this proves, I think, is that gamers are not a monolithic group of entitled man-babies, as some developers seem to think.

Sure, there are many notable exceptions, but by and large people respond well to bad news when they're consistently being shown respect by the developer.

IGA had our trust from the start, and he's further cultivated it throughout the Kickstarter campaign and the development process.

We trust him - we believe what he's saying about the game's development and that the game will be better for the delay.

The problem is that few developers have ever shown us the respect that IGA is showing us right now.

A publisher's modus operandi is normally something like this... (conveniently expressed in pseudo-pseudo-code)

IF  >  Game won't be on time THEN 
       ( IF > we can get something playable by release date THEN compromise quality )
       ( ELSE > notify gamers of delay at the last minute
                        AND make the delay as short as possible so that the game is playable
                        AND say it was to "make the game even better" )

See, publishers? THIS is why we get pissed, not because of the delay itself. Learn from IGA's example! 

I'm totally fine with this. We'll probably get the staggered content thingy anyway, but hopefully the actual physical release will be more absolute.

If necessary, I'll wait until 2020 to get the game IGA wants me to experience.

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Agreed. Just went and tweeted #Bloodstained. Let's spread the acceptance, XombieMike. :)

This is pretty close to what I expected. Obviously I'd rather not wait, but I'd be even more disappointed if I ended up with a game that had barely any content or is filled with bugs. I'm more interested in the "new developers" part. I wonder why exactly that's necessary at this point.

Yep, I fully expected the march 2017 date to be pushed back.
This is a good thing though. Take all the time you need to make a proper finished and polished game.

not surprised for this delay, at least they give us in ADVANCEMENT so that the people wont get hyped as the release date getting closer which is good. otherwise they will get the same treatment as mighty no. 9.

I want Mana to deliver my voice and everyone else's voice to IGA and his team. Like i did before, i'm going to "analyze" the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night update, even if it is just a bit of really important information.
Analyzing this Update by what IGA said:


"I'VE REALIZED THAT AT THIS RATE THE GAME MAY NOT END UP MEETING MY QUALITY STANDARDS"

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This is important. Iga is not saying "team's quality standards". He is saying HIS quality standards. I remember, in the past, how IGA said, on a really delicate and polite way, that he wasn't awesomenly happy with how Dracula X Chronicles (the 2.5D version) ended and he said the same thing about Castlevania Judgment. In the way past, IGA already said that Symphony of the Night, the game were he was production assistant, not producer, and writer, would have much more dialogue that had to be cut and he showed a little disappointemnt on this. All that shows that IGA is quite the perfectionist and i honestly think that the team was doing their best to release the game at the date they estimated, but IGA, he and he alone, maybe with two or three, just decided this because the game must be his magnum opus, as he already said.
The guy is perfectionist. We can all assume that.


"I'VE DECIDED TO ADD A NEW DEVELOPMENT TEAM TO THE MAIN PRODUCTION AND IMPROVE OUR APPROACH"

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That took me by surprise. Adding a whole new development team to the main production, and considering that this was his decision, means, again, what i said above. I honestly think they would manage to do a great game at the deadline, but IGA just felt it wasn't going to be ALL that he wanted. New deadline AND a whole new development team means a much bigger window to work for, wich is great. And that is not small talk, because he actually said we will know more about this soon.


"WHILE THE RELEASE DATE IS NOT YET SET IN STONE, WE'RE AIMING FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 2018"

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I think it is safe to assume we all expected that. Kickstarter does require a release date, even if its just a estimate, and, we must remember something really important. When the game was annouced, they had 1 goal and 4 stretch goals. Everything was funded in 4 hours and they had to made up 24 more stretch goals, including things that are really time consuming, such as other plataforms, a prequel minigame, other characters and the promise that the game will be the biggest Castle IGA ever did, already confirmed to be at least 1600 rooms, wich 150% bigger than the original Symphony of the Night Castle, without including a possible second Castle or something of the sort that the game may also have. As it was already said by Fangamer Steve  in the past, as XombieMike  showed us, more money does not translate to less time. WE are the responsible, in a way, for making the game so much bigger than it was going to be. That extra time is needed.


"HOWEVER, I'D LIKE TO EMPHASIZE THAT I MADE THIS DECISION TO ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEE THE GAME IS DONE RIGHT THE FIRST TIME."

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That is MUCH more important than we think. I think we all know what is happening at the gaming industry nowadays. A game is released, a one-day-Gigs-huge-patch is released to fix all the problems they knew the game had, and during 3 to 4 months, new patches are released to fix problems they don't knew they had. IGA doesn't want that. The guy said it right there "the game is done right the first time". That means not only he wants the game to be released in a good state, even if it takes more time for that, but he also said there that they don't want the game to be released, just to require a bunch of patches and fixes later on, because they needed to rush everything due to the timeline.


CLOSING COMMENTS

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I have absolute confidence on the team and on IGA in particular, that they are doing the right thing. Of course it is a little bummer to have to wait more, but that wait will be rewarded for sure. IGA is doing the best he can, the team is working hard and they let us know in a huge advance about all of that. Also, it is great to know that the next update will be soon and that it will feature some songs and commentary from Michiru Yamane! I hope they include the music-that-can't-be-mentioned that was mistankely forgot inside the Demo.

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You BET IGA. I'm sure i can say for everyone else, that we will continue to support you to our best content. You and your team, take the time you need to deliver us your magnum opus.

Yes!! I got to enjoy the monthly backer updates for another year.

Also this give me more time to finish my original Bloodstained music track and hope for that 1 in a milloin chance that they'll use it in some stage in the final game.