Bad news has come for fans of 1980s sci-fi games and those who were looking forward to the upcoming title from developer Sad Cat. A new announcement has dashed the hopes of some fans, as Sad Cat and Replaced‘s publisher, Thunderful Games, attempt to “do what’s right for the project” and make some necessary changes to Replaced‘s future availability and release schedule.
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Replaced is an Xbox-exclusive pixel graphic sci-fi platformer that will be released on Xbox Series X/S, Epic Games, and Steam, and while it was originally expected to release three years ago, it has been continually delayed — and unfortunately, another delay has happened. In a press release, the team behind Replaced expressed regret that they would now have to delay the game’s launch from this year into Q1 2026.
“We know that our community is incredibly excited to play REPLACED and it’s no secret that it’s taken longer than we initially thought to deliver that to you all—we apologize for that,” said Replaced director Yura Zhdanovic. “We’ve always been trying to do what’s right for the project, which in turn, means delivering to you a truly special experience. The good news is that we now are very close to finishing production and REPLACED will be coming to PC and Xbox Series X|S in spring 2026.”
Again, this isn’t the first time the game has fallen victim to development woes. Around this same time last year, the official Replaced X account published a statement from Sad Cat Studios, announcing that the game would be delayed until 2025. “Our initial release was optimistic, and we apologize for that,” said the statement. “Developing Replaced is quite a unique challenge, and we’re proud to be creating something that special. We need more time to ensure we meet the high standards we’ve set for ourselves and to meet the expectations of our fans.”
With this new delay announcement, the challenge the developers previously discussed appears to be still quite significant. Along with the delayed release, the lack of mention of the Xbox One seems to indicate that the game will no longer be coming to the last-gen console. The official Replaced website still lists the Xbox One version as “coming soon,” so it’s possible that either the website hasn’t been updated, the developers neglected to mention the Xbox One version, or that more news about the Xbox One version will be shared at a later time. In either case, this will surely disappoint Xbox One loyalists who both wanted to play Replaced and haven’t yet upgraded to the Xbox Series X|S.
Originally announced back in 2021, Replaced was revealed to be dripping with a retro-pixel 80s aesthetic reminiscent of Odd Tales’ 2.5D cinematic platformer, The Last Night. Replaced is also advertised as 2.5D, and according to its Steam page, it is set in an “alternate 1980s America.” The game promises to deliver a gritty and stylized post-apocalyptic world to explore, and is billed as a cinematic single-player experience.
What are your thoughts on Replaced? Has news of another delay soured your enthusiasm for the game, or will it ultimately prove to be better timing with the stacked release schedule at the end of 2025?
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