‘Uncharted 4’ Is Getting Delayed Yet Again, But Fans Will Get A Chance To Play The Game This Weekend

After already suffering two launch delays in the past, Sony Computer Entertainment of America has confirmed that the release of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has once again been pushed back to later this spring. Thankfully, this third and final delay of the next installment of Naughty Dog’s popular PlayStation exclusive will only make fans wait another two weeks for Uncharted 4.

While announcing the game’s newly adjusted release date on the official PlayStation Blog, SCEA president Shawn Layden offered a brief explanation for the continued delay of Uncharted 4. According to Layden, development on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will likely actually wrap up in time for its previously targeted launch in April. Gamers are accustomed to seeing titles delayed in order to give developers more time to remove bugs and add overall polish. However, Sony has decided to move the release date to May 10 to give the title more time to prepare for manufacturing and shipping. The extra weeks will ensure that the game can see a worldwide release to fans across all regions.

“As you know, Naughty Dog is wrapping up production on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End with the game on track to go gold and into production later this month. In an effort to meet the considerable worldwide demand, and to ensure that all gamers worldwide have the opportunity to play the game on day one, we have chosen to postpone the launch of the game by two weeks to allow for extra manufacturing time.”

Layden also acknowledged that the publisher is aware that the further delay of Uncharted 4 is sure to upset some, but promised fans that the game experience itself will more than make up for the extra wait.

“We know this news might be disappointing, and we are sorry to have to make you wait a little longer to play Naughty Dog’s latest. The good news is that the game is phenomenal — we are fully confident that it will be worth the wait and the team at Naughty Dog is eager as ever for you to experience Nathan Drake’s final adventure.”

While gamers will now have to wait until May for the release of Uncharted 4, many curious fans will get to try out the game for the first time this weekend. Following up on a previous closed beta test held this past December, Naughty Dog will be running another stress test for the Uncharted 4 multiplayer mode starting this Friday. Unlike the last beta, which was only available to a few invited participants, the upcoming stress test will be open to all PlayStation 4 owners.

In an effort to get as many people playing Uncharted 4‘s multiplayer as possible, even those without an active PlayStation Plus subscription will be able to try out this weekend’s beta. This is because Naughty Dog is hoping to see if the game’s online servers can stand up to the kind of traffic that Uncharted 4 is expected to see at launch. This will be the last chance to try out Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End before the title officially launches.

The multiplayer stress test will begin on March 4 and continue through the end of March 6. Players will only have access to select multiplayer maps during the beta, so those only interested in Uncharted 4‘s single player story mode won’t get anything out of the test. PS4 owners can now download the beta client from the PlayStation Store in anticipation of the upcoming test event. Naughty Dog will also be streaming gameplay from the Uncharted 4 beta on their Twitch channel this Friday.

How do you feel about the third delay of Uncharted 4? Does the later release date bother you?

[Image via Uncharted 4]