In December 2021, Iron Galaxy hosted a closed technical test for its upcoming wrestling-themed battle royaleRumbleverse. It didn’t blow up the internet, but for a closed test drawing attention to a game few had heard of prior, it certainly drew some interest. As battle royale players know, however, to thrive a battle royale needs more than light interest at launch.Iron Galaxyappears to agree, as publisher Epic Games has now confirmed thatRumbleversehas been delayed indefinitely.To be clear,Rumbleverse’s indefinite delay appears to be in service to positioning it for a stronger launch, rather than potentially shelving thebattle royale. It was previously planned to release on February 15, a date not only in the middle of a very busy month but also doingRumbleverseno favors considering the lack of hype and advertising so far. Iron Galaxy also says that it wants to “perfect the experience” before it goes live.RELATED:Killer Instinct Devs Would Consider Making Another OneRumbleversewon’t be going away in the meantime, even though it doesn’t have a new release date yet.Epic Gamesand Iron Galaxy are planning additional tests forRumbleversegoing forward. The first will start on February 12 and is, unfortunately, exclusive to PC once more. It’s intended to help Iron Galaxy test out its new infrastructure and will only be available for two hours, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Central Time. Iron Galaxy says this is just the first test leading up to launch, so expect more in the future.
Iron Galaxy also addresses one other important issue in its announcement. It previously allowed excitedRumbleversefans to pre-order an Early Access Pack of DLC that included a week of early access. SinceRumbleverseis no longer launching on February 15, and has no new release date, Epic Games will be refunding everyone that purchased an Early Access Pack. It can then be repurchased onceRumbleversehas a new launch date.
While this may seem like a frustrating and potentially worrying decision forRumbleverse, the development team seems genuinely inspired by the response from itsFirst Look test in early December. The extra time will allow Iron Galaxy to create the full experience it wants to deliver withRumbleverse.
At the very least, itletsRumbleverseescape early February, which would have come after the launch ofPokemon Legends ArceusandDying Light 2and just beforeHorizon Forbidden West,Destiny 2’sThe Witch Queenexpansion, andElden Ring. Escaping February givesRumbleversethe chance it’s going to need.
Rumbleverseis in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
