Path of Exile 2’s Delay Incurs Costs Exceeding a Million Dollars on Marketing, Servers, and Additional Expenses

At a recent Path of Exile 2 preview and press event, game director Jonathan Rogers opened up about the game’s three-week delay, providing insight into the technical reasons behind it, how they almost met the original deadline, and the impact on their budget.

“We discovered that merging PoE 2 and PoE 1’s realms was more time-consuming than anticipated. It’s ironic because it seems like a task that shouldn’t derail a major release! In reality, I think we could have stuck to the initial release date. But as the deadline loomed, it felt too risky, so we chose to postpone,” Rogers shared candidly.

Now, when you give game designers an extra three weeks, they’re ecstatic, right? They’re thrilled for the chance to refine their work. They’re hopeful these three weeks will enhance the game’s polish. However, the delay primarily addressed some behind-the-scenes issues rather than gameplay elements.

Discussing the tough decision to delay, Rogers said, “Being a game director means you’re under immense pressure to avoid delays. We had marketing commitments, which meant financial implications, such as deposits on promotional plans. But we ultimately believed the delay was crucial to prevent a launch disaster due to unfinished backend work. Let’s hope for the best now!”

Although pressed on the financial specifics, Rogers refrained from delving into details, saying, “I prefer not to elaborate, but it certainly exceeds a million dollars. We even faced commitments with server providers, paying for server time we’re not yet using. These unplanned expenses just keep cropping up.”

Rogers also expressed his feelings about how the delay would affect eager fans. “I felt awful because I know some fans had planned vacations around the release. However, the uncertainty was too great not to act.”

Imagining the potential backlash if players’ PoE 1 content didn’t transfer smoothly, or if other backend issues occurred at launch, makes the decision understandable — even though it came with a hefty price tag.

What are your thoughts on the delay? Do you support Grinding Gear Games’ decision? Share your views below!