Path of Exile 2 has been a game that fans of the action RPG genre have been looking forward to for years. While the original Path of Exile is still a great game that receives thousands of daily players, folks have been clamouring for a true sequel for ages, something which developer Grinding Gear Games have been more than happy to provide… in an ethereal sense, of course.
We know Path of Exile 2 exists thanks to trailers and even previews of the game are floating across the internet but it’s the question of its release date has never really be answered. It’s always existed as this thing that will eventually happen someday and at this point “someday” is likely to be 2022.
Head of Grinding Gear Games Chris Wilson confirmed in a phone interview that Path of Exile 2 was farther away than most people expected. “I hate to blame COVID for stuff, but that is a big part of it at the moment… We have had difficulty hiring internationally because the borders to New Zealand are closed, so that has curtailed the exponential growth of our asset creation team a little bit… our goal is to bash as hard as we can during 2021 on Path of Exile 2 stuff and see how much headway we make.” Wilson was asked to clarify whether the game would be launching in a 2022 and responded by saying, “Yeah, I think that would be accurate”.
If you’re feeling a little down about that, there might be some good news for you yet. The Echoes of the Atlas expansion, most likely the largest update Path of Exile will receive in 2021 before the developers shift all their attention to the sequel, will launch on 15 January (it was originally meant to launch in December but then Cyberpunk 2077 happened). The expansion adds new environments, bosses and even more loot into the game for those desperate to scratch the itch. Some assets for the expansion have even been borrowed from Path of Exile 2, so it’s just a bit of a taster of what’s to come.
Last Updated: January 8, 2021
