Rugby fans will be disappointed to hear the latest update on the long-awaited Rugby 24 game from Big Ant Studios and Nacon.
When Rugby 24 was first announced, it came with the promise of over 100 licensed teams from 15 licensed leagues.
The initial plan was to release the game in time for last year's Rugby World Cup in France, but stumbling blocks were met with securing the required licensing, and the game's release was first pushed back to January of this year.
That date then became March and, with the month winding down and no sight of the promised early access to the game, the developers have now confirmed that the game has once again been delayed.
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Rugby 24 delayed once again by game developers
In a statement released this week, game developers Big Ant and Nacon confirmed the latest delay to releasing the game - only this time there was no hint as to when fans can expect to get their first test-run of Rugby 24.
Some news about #RUGBY24 and its Early Access.
Apologies for the repost. pic.twitter.com/w2kzZDnJtz— RUGBY 24 (@rugbythegame) March 28, 2024
The developers apologised for yet another delay and thanked fans for their patience, explaining that yet more licensing issues were the cause of the latest delay:
As outlined in earlier communication, we believe that official, realistic content is a must have for all Rugby fans, and despite our best efforts to capture photogrammetry for as many professional teams as possible, we have not been able to secure the number we believe required for launch.
We are aware that your expectations for Rugby 24 as fans of the sport are high, just like us, and we are committed to bringing you a feature-full, quality Rugby game.
This news follows the recent release of a fresh teaser for the game, which confirmed that rights had been secured for English Premiership teams to be included.
The video, first shown at the Nacon Connect event on February 29th, showed Maro Itoje and his Saracens teammates in-game, giving fans a glimpse of the graphics we can expect when the game finally arrives.
You can (re)watch the RUGBY 24 video that was featured during the last @Nacon Connect here: pic.twitter.com/DlTQUVub7R
— RUGBY 24 (@rugbythegame) March 28, 2024
It has been quite some time since rugby fans had any quality game release. The early 2010s brought the 2011 Rugby World Cup game, as well as the Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge series, both of which were met with mixed reviews.
Of course, nothing has ever come close to matching the halcyon days of Rugby 08.
Despite the frustration of repeated delays to its release, perhaps the questionable quality of recent rugby releases will lead fans to be patient with the arrival of Rugby 24, in the hopes of finally getting a top-quality game for the sport.
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