Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Delayed, Slightly

Starr Long, producer on the upcoming MMOG Tabula Rasa, has said the game's announced release date will be pushed back, but only slightly.

In a message posted on the official Tabula Rasa website, Long said the team needs "a little more time" to get everything right for release. The original "preorder head-start" date of October 16 has now been moved to October 30, while regular commercial service scheduled for October 19 will now commence on November 2.

"This short but critical time will give us time to address several issues including stability and balance as well as allowing our players to test the continent of Ligo (L38+) and our major changes to crafting for a few weeks rather than a few days. Our entire development staff feels this extra time is needed as does our beta community. We feel confident that this extra time will make a difference on launch day."

Long also said more information will be coming over the next few days from Richard Garriott, Paul Sage and other development staff as part of the discussion and feedback process over plans for content addition and updates. New posts will also be put up on the site every Friday to address user feedback.

Tabula Rasa is an MMOG with shooter elements blended into its combat system that takes place during a near-future conflict between humanity and an alien race known as The Bane. Players will be able to influence the outcome of a war between player characters and NPCs, and missions given to players by NPCs will be influenced by progress on the battlefield.