If you didn’t catch it in the most recent Update of the Avatar, producer Starr Long cast a rather copious quantity of doubt on the possibility that Shroud of the Avatar might see a “version 1.0” release at any point in what is left of 2017:

While we feel we are definitely getting closer to launch readiness each month we do not believe that launching before the end of the year is going to be the right time. Before the end of the year however will be the right time to announce a firm launch date; so stay tuned!

We continue to be incredibly thankful for the support we receive from this amazing community. While the funding you provide makes all of this possible, it pales in comparison with the faith you have in us, the feedback you provide us, and the content you are making for everyone to enjoy. We are humbly grateful, and we cannot wait to see you again in New Britannia!

The remaining Releases for the year will primarily be focused on polish; scene load time reductions and frame rate increases are key points that come up in the schedule included in the aforementioned Update, as is additional UI refinement.

Now, there had been some public statements from various personalities at Portalarium which suggested, more or less, that we’d see a final release — inasmuch as the game will have a final release; this is why I call it the “version 1.0” release — of Shroud of the Avatar before the end of the year. Clearly, this is not going to be the case.

But I’ll note that we were never given an official release date for the game in the first place, so can we really call this new development a delay?