Studio MDHR delayed the final episode of Cuphead to 2020, as it seeks to avoid subjecting its employees to the crunch culture that has infiltrated several video game developers.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, which will be added to the notoriously difficult platformer as downloadable content, was originally planned to be released this year. However, in a blog post, Studio MDHR said that it will be pushing back the DLC to next year.
Studio MDHR said that the development of Cuphead taught the company “a great deal about the importance of making things in a way that’s healthy and sustainable.” The game was originally meant to be released in 2015, but it was later delayed to 2016, and then to mid-2017, before finally launching in September 2017 for the Xbox One and PC.
The developer said that it will be “spending the necessary time to get the recipe just right” for Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, hinting at the desire to prevent a culture of forcing employees to work overtime in order to meet an ambitious deadline.
“This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but we’re confident it’s one that will result in a higher quality experience that’s all the sweeter when it does arrive,” said Studio MDHR co-director Chad Moldenhauer in a statement to Polygon. If the delayed release and the more relaxed timeline will keep the team behind Cuphead happy, then the DLC will likely be worth the wait for fans of the game.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course will add a new island to explore, a new character named Ms. Chalice, and more difficult bosses to beat. The DLC will roll out for the Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch, but Studio MDHR did not state a specific date for its launch.
In the meantime, Studio MDHR rolled out a new trailer for the final episode, showing gamers what to expect from the episode.
Cuphead was the best-looking game of 2017, with gorgeous hand-drawn animations that replicated the art style of 1930s cartoons. However, the run-and-gun platformer was anything but pretty, with its numerous boss fights creating one of the most difficult games in recent times.
