Reapers Delay Mass Effect 3 Until 2012

By "Reapers," we mean "EA and BioWare."

Plenty of gamers loved Mass Effect 2, which means that plenty of gamers are looking forward to the upcoming Mass Effect 3. And why shouldn't they? So far, it looks like one hell of an epic conclusion to the saga of Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy.

Unfortunately, said gamers will be waiting a bit longer than initially planned: EA and BioWare have confirmed that Mass Effect 3 will not be hitting its initial launch window of Holiday 2011, but will instead be hitting in early 2012.

"Today we have confirmed that Mass Effect 3 will be released in the first three months of 2012," said executive producer Casey Hudson in a statement posted on Facebook and the BioWare message boards. "The development team is laser focused on making sure Mass Effect 3 is the biggest, boldest and best game in the series, ensuring that it exceeds everyone's expectations. We'll have more details about specific dates as we get closer to release."

I don't mind delays, really. The best companies in the business delay games all the time; rushing a game out the door helps nobody. Besides, this just means that there will be more time for gamers to play Skyrim, Call of Duty: The Next One and Diablo III. Maybe not D3. Shut up, I can hope.