Frogwares have delayed the release of Lovecraftian survival horror The Sinking City 2 to the first half of 2026, citing the effects of developing a game in amid the war between Russia and Ukraine as having understandably affected how long it’s taken to get things done. There’s no concrete new date as of right now, but the studio have shared some work-in-progress screens.
“Developing a game during a war isn’t something you can ever really prepare for, but something you need to keep adapting to,” Frogwares publishing head Sergiy Oganesyan said of the delay. “At one point, we were losing power for days as drones and missiles hit our power grid. When that tactic stopped working, it became mass drone swarms every other night, going from midnight until dawn.
“You work all day, then spend the sleepless night listening for explosions, and somehow still need to function the next morning. These things all slowed us down regularly to the point where it just doesn’t make sense to try to rush what we have left to meet a date that we no longer feel is worth chasing. How Moscow’s tactics to terrorize civilians will change again as winter comes is anyone’s guess, so we’d rather be ready to adapt again, knowing we’re able to take our time.”
“We don’t have an exact date set for 2026 yet, but we thought it was better to at least share what we do know,” he added. “We’d rather be certain than announce something now only to move it again. Rest assured, we’re currently aiming for the first half of 2026, so it’s a matter of months, not years.”
Alongside the 13 fresh screenshots the team have shared as part of the delay announcement, some of which I’ve included below, Frogwares’ senior social media manager Anna Bieniek said that the studio are planning to show off “a lot more gameplay over the next few months to let everyone see how development is going”.
The devs add that the extra time will give them leeway to ensure they’ve stuck the landing as well as they’d link in their switch from detective-style action to full survival horror, which has been “a whole new kind of challenge”.
Our Alice B had mixed thoughts on the original Sinking City, summing them up thusly:
Without the weird Lovecraftian bits, this is a slightly janky, slightly grindy detective game that does some interesting things in a very atmospheric depiction of a profoundly depressed town. Taking them into account, I don’t know! I was confused and uncharmed by the whole thing, but I still haven’t untangled my brainnoodles. At least I’ve told you how they got tangled. Goodness, I was very interested in The Sinking City. I really wanted to love it. But I’m afraid rain may have stopped play this time.
Solidarity to Frogwares’ devs as they carry on working get their game over the line in very tough circumstances.
