Outbound Adjusts Release Date to Avoid Competition
In a strategic move to sidestep the impending release of Subnautica 2, Square Glade Games has announced that their highly anticipated title, Outbound, will now launch on May 11th, three days ahead of its original schedule. The decision comes in light of Subnautica 2’s early access debut on May 14th, a date that promises to attract significant attention from gamers worldwide.
“Even though we are very hyped for our game and big fans of the franchise, we think that it is best to not compete with such a highly anticipated title on that day,” Square Glade stated in their announcement. This proactive approach allows them to avoid the proverbial leviathan of competition, enabling players to embark on their road trip adventure a little earlier.
As part of this adjustment, the demo currently available on Outbound’s Steam page will be taken offline on May 8th. For those interested in a taste of the game, now is the time to explore the demo, which offers a serene experience of wilderness exploration and crafting. I had the opportunity to delve into this demo for a feature comparing it to a Cyberpunk 2077 campervan mod earlier this year, and I found it to be quite enjoyable.
“Here’s some wood, scrap metal, and rubbish to recycle. Feed the latter into this recycling machine I’ve just built inside our van, and boom, a ticket that’ll give me the blueprint for a handy new skill if I take it to that radio tower over there. No, I’m not sure why all of the local telecommunications posts are dishing out info about making axes and watering cans to hapless campers, but I’m sure it’s for the greater good. Speaking of axes, I’m going to use the one I’ve just made on some logs, so we can go from desperately needing more wood to having so much wood we have to shove it all in the van’s maw in order to avoid being rooted to the ground. Right, time to move on and see if we can climb up to that hilltop ranger station. What do you mean ‘give me five minutes, I’ve just built a three-legged camping stool’?”
The gameplay experience also led me to an unexpected encounter at a ranger station, where I found myself breaking into a PC. While it felt a bit dubious, the absence of any law enforcement made the escapade quite harmless, adding a layer of excitement to the overall adventure.
