Tides of Numenera delayed to 2016 as project director departs

InXile’s new RPG Torment: Tides of Numenera has been delayed to 2016.

In a post announcing the delay, it was also revealed that project director Kevin Saunders is leaving the studio and will no longer work on the project.

Saunders said both he and the studio’s management had decided it was “time for me to depart the studio”. He added he did not have any specific plans for his next job.

Wasteland 2 project lead Chris Keenan will now manage the project. He explained that while progress still needs to be made, hence the delay, the level art is largely done, as has much of the work on general game systems, level design and UI elements. Over half a million words have also been written and implemented into the game.

Tides of Numenera had originally been expected to launch in December 2014. It was then delayed to Q4 2015, before the latest postponement.

“As a fresh set of eyes on the project I can tell you it’s shaping up to be the awesome experience you all expect and deserve,” said Keenan. “However, to maintain the quality standard we’ve set for ourselves, we can’t rush through these final stages to get it out the door. Instead, we’re going to take the time we need on Torment: Tides of Numenera, which means we are planning a 2016 release.”

The crowdfunding campaign for Tides of Numenera was launched in March 2013. InXile smashed its funding goal of $900,000 and raised $4.1m for the project via Kickstarter.