Publisher Cygames and developer Arc System Works have announced the postponement of the highly anticipated fighting game, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising. Originally scheduled to launch on 30 November, the game will now be available to fans on 14 December 2023.

Despite the disappointment of the delay, this extra time will undoubtedly be utilized by the developers to ensure a “truly high-quality product”. Creative director Tetsuya Fukuhara explains the reason for this delay:

After our first online beta was held in July, the development team pulled out all the stops to rework the game’s mechanics and battle design in time for the initially scheduled release date. Despite our best efforts, however, it has become clear to me that additional time will be needed to put the finishing touches on the game.

Upon completing our adjustments to the game’s battle mechanics, we revealed the changes during our Balance and System Adjustments stream on October 20 and the first public playtest at the “Granblue Fantasy: Versus Official Tournament, Vol. 7? last weekend, where they were met with an overwhelmingly positive reception.

However, due to the number of modes that were affected by these changes, we found the overall impact to be much larger than anticipated, and decided that, in order to meet player expectations, we would need two more weeks of polish and debugging to put out a truly high-quality product. We regret announcing this as the second beta is just around the corner, but please rest assured that the beta schedule itself has not changed.

Alongside the game’s delayed release date announcement, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising will have its second open beta test. The beta will be held from 9 to 12 November. Players on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam will have the opportunity to participate in this beta test.

Crossplay is coming to the second #GBVSR open beta!

And that's not all—get ready for playable Anila, lobby matches, training mode, and, of course, Grand Bruise Legends! Are you in?

? Check out the details here:https://t.co/48FPLNaoNX pic.twitter.com/epwvNdVt1P

— GBVS/Granblue Fantasy Versus (@gbvs_official) October 27, 2023

What sets this open beta apart is the introduction of cross-platform functionality. This means that players from different platforms can compete against each other in various game modes, such as Casual Matches, Lobby Matches, and Training Mode. This cross-play feature enhances the overall gaming experience and ensures the game’s quality at launch.

The beta test will consist of two sessions. The first session will take place from 9 November at 6:00 p.m. PT to 10 November at 5:00 p.m. PT. The second session is scheduled to start on 11 November at 11:00 p.m. PT and will conclude on 12 November at 11:00 p.m. PT. Visit the official website to find out more.