Grinding Gear Games (GGG), the developers behind the iconic Path of Exile series, have issued an apology to fans of the original game after announcing a delay in the release of Path of Exile 1's 3.26 update. Originally slated for late October before the launch of Path of Exile 2, and then rescheduled for mid-February, the update has been postponed indefinitely as the team shifts focus to address critical issues in Path of Exile 2. The most recent league for Path of Exile 1, Settlers of Kalguur, was released in July 2024.
In a candid video message, Jonathan Rogers, the game director of Path of Exile 2 and co-founder of GGG, explained the situation. He revealed that the Path of Exile 1 team was reassigned to help finalize the endgame content for Path of Exile 2, aiming for a December launch. Despite their efforts, the team couldn't manage to return to the 3.26 update as initially planned due to unexpected complications with Path of Exile 2, including crashes and balance issues.
"We were fooling ourselves," Rogers admitted, acknowledging the unrealistic expectations set for managing both projects simultaneously. The urgency to fix Path of Exile 2's issues led to further delays for Path of Exile 1's update. "How could I justify taking some of the most experienced developers we have off PoE2 when it’s on fire?" he questioned, highlighting the priority given to Path of Exile 2's stability.
The Path of Exile 1 team will continue to support Path of Exile 2 until at least the release of version 0.2.0, expected a few weeks after its current 0.1.1 state. Rogers expressed regret over the situation, admitting, "I’m really sorry for how this went down. Honestly, I should have predicted the fact that taking the Path of Exile 1 team off Path of Exile 1 would lead to this outcome." He emphasized the learning curve the studio faces in managing two games and the need to restructure to better handle such challenges in the future.
Despite these delays, Path of Exile 2 successfully launched in early access on December 6, 2024, across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, quickly becoming the 15th most-played game on Steam. For players diving into Path of Exile 2, GGG offers guides on choosing the right class, including early builds for the Mercenary and Sorceress, as well as tips on acquiring more Spirit, trading, and ascending within the game.
AnswerSee Results
