Epic Games’ Infinity Blade titles have been some of the best action games so far seen on iOS gadgets like the iPhone and iPad, so it only makes sense that fans would be anxiously awaiting word on the next title in the franchise. Unfortunately, word has just come in and it’s not good: Infinity Blade: Dungeons will not appear until 2013.
That seems a bit odd, given the relatively short development time behind iOS games, and the fact that Epic showed this game off in March. Fortunately Epic representative Wes Phillips offered AllThingsD a detailed list of reasons. “Ever since the talented team at Impossible Studios got their hands on Infinity Blade: Dungeons, they’ve been busy adding their great ideas to the game,” Phillips said. “There was also the matter of getting the Impossible Studios team up and running with desks, chairs, staplers and computers. The logistics of a new studio and implementing all these great ideas required a little extra time, so Infinity Blade: Dungeons will hit iOS in 2013.”
We’re not sure how to feel about this news. On the one hand Epic has delayed a sequel that should be one of the top action titles on the iOS platform to a nebulous point in 2013. On the other hand, that could be as little as three months from now, and we’re all for developers spending as much time as possible polishing their titles.
Given the surprisingly gorgeous visuals and addictive gameplay in existing Infinity Blade games, we can’t really fault Epic Games if it adopts a more traditional console game-esque development cycle for its iOS games. Sure, we’ll all have a bit more of a wait, but if it produces blockbuster iOS games then how can you argue with the results?