Fans have been itching to get their hands on Path of Exile 2 for a couple of years now. Announced back in 2019, Grinding Gear Games hoped to have the beta ready to go before the end of 2020. Unfortunately, COVID-related setbacks mean fans are still waiting for the follow-up to the award-winning free-to-play action RPG.

Grinding Gear recently offered fans a significant look at Path of Exile 2’s gameplay. The bad news, however, is that the game’s release is a lot further off than many hoped.

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Grinding Gear revealed the continued delay before a developer stream on Thursday. During a Q&A segment just before the stream, the studio’s Chris Wilson announced that the highly anticipated sequel to Path of Exile is well behind schedule and will not release in 2021. His statement seems to confirm earlier reports of a probable 2022 release date for Path of Exile 2. As with many other game delays, Grinding Gear cited COVID-19 as a significant contributing factor to the delays. Production of Path of Exile 2 is ramping back up. However, Wilson says the studio has a lot of work to do before Path of Exile 2 is ready to enter beta. He specifically mentioned work on the game’s new campaign content, which has yet to reach the halfway point.

The continued setbacks prompted some to ask Wilson if he was worried about competition with other RPGs. Many expect Blizzard’s Diablo 4 to release sometime in 2022. The actual release window remains unconfirmed, but Activision has dropped hints putting it in the realm of possibility. If both games release around the same time, it may put Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2 in direct competition. That is not a place many small studios would want to find themselves.

However, Wilson did not seem worried about that possibility. The feeling at Grinding Gear seems to be that the ARPG market is big enough for both franchises, and continued growth helps everyone. If anything, Wilson expects Diablo 4’s release to do great things for action RPGs as a genre. Additionally, Blizzard hasn’t even officially confirmed whether Diablo 4 will launch in 2022. Right now, concerns about release date conflicts might be premature.

On the bright side, Path of Exile 2 fans got a great look at the upcoming game during Thursday’s stream. The showcase centered around the game’s second act. It also explained some of the new combat mechanic players could expect in the upcoming release. Grinding Gear Games also released a new trailer on Thursday, teasing even more gameplay and story content. Hopefully, players will not need to wait too much longer before they can experience it firsthand.

Path of Exile 2 is in development.

MORE: What to Expect from the Upcoming Path of Exile: Ultimatum Expansion and Livestream Announcement

Source: PCGamesN