We were hoping to see DECAPOLICE, the upcoming detective RPG from Level-5, at today's To The World's Children showcase. However, what we weren't expecting was a pretty big delay.
Originally due out in 2023, then delayed to 2024, Decapolice has now been pushed all the way back to 2026. Woof. That's a long wait — but we're still excited.
The game will also be coming to PC, and the plan is to release the game and an anime series at the same time. Decapolice will feature a large open-world and systems that complement the game's structure. Pretty ambitious, but that feels like Level-5 all throughout this presentation.
At least we got a brand new trailer featuring the game's theme song, City of Love, by GARNiDELiA vocalist MARiA (Mai Mizuhashi). You can listen to the song and watch the brand new trailer up top.
Are you disappointed with Decapolice's delay? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 33
Deca-scuse me?!
That's my first Switch 2026 pencilled-in game I think.
Surely it’ll be released on the new hardware as well?
Unfortunate that it's coming out in 2026 instead of next year, but I'm all for it if means the game being even more ambitious and hopefully better in the same way shown for Fantasy Life and Victory Road during this very showcase!
This is just....baffling. I'm not waiting for this game, but this is ridiculous.
Why do their faces look like that? A world of baby faces.
@Slowdive Nah, it'll be one the last Switch 1 games to release at this rate.
Seems like 1st release dates doesn't really matter anymore to most developers, I guess...
Wow that kid is special. Already a seasoned detective and it's not even his 10th birthday.
Yeah, there must've been some hardcore development/financial drama at Level 5 for all of these delays upon delays to make any sense.
Since early 2023, level 5 efficiency is like "see you next year, preparing the next year who will prepare the year after, and the year after".
Where are the games ?
Aaaaah Level 5 lost me since a long time.
oof... was looking forward to this...
Why don't they just, like, make one game at a time? This five-at-once approach is kinda whack.
Well there goes almost all my excitement.😞
@gcunit Don't forget about Ushiro. 😉
2026!?!?
Wha-?
How do you announce something for 2023 and delay it for 3 years??? The heck kind of production is going on there?
Honestly, Level 5 makes Valve look like a Swiss train.
I still wonder about the gameplay.
Mixture of turn based RPG with Detective Pikachu style for solving the criminal case.
I thought this one looked good. Here’s hoping that the delay doesn’t signal something wrong with the development of the game. A delayed game is eventually blah blah blah etc.
3 years of delays for a game that probably should have taken them 3 years to make in the first place is kinda whack.
Still have a long way to go to match 8 year Concord though, and this should sell better. Concord will be the gift that keeps on giving to all delayed games going forward. 😜
Expecting this, and at least a couple of other games, to be a Yooka-Laylee scenarios by mid 2026. ie not on Switch, just Switch 2.
Edit: Wow, in March of 2023 they really said "Decapolice" would be released in 2023, so they had at most 9 months to get it out. And now, 18 months later, they are still talking needing an extra 16 months at least to get it out. Just wow.
Oh and by the way "Fantasy Life i" was also supposed to release in 2023 and it is now due out in April of 2025.
https://www.nintendolife.com/features/round-up-everything-announced-at-the-level-5-vision-2023-showcase
Maybe whoever is in charge of predicting release dates at Level 5 should not get their next paycheck until 2025. 🤑
That's crazy! Hopefully it'll be worth the wait, the reveal trailer looked promising.
@MSaturn I think we need to amend that saying to "A delayed game is... probably a Level-5 game".
Ouch. But I can wait.
At this rate the game is going to crash and burn just like that mech one from a while ago.
These idiots will never learn and continue to push these huge multimedia projects that ultimately only cost way too much money.
I was pessimistic about these titles from the start because I know how Level-5 operated in the past and it seems like I was right with that. I'm sure the games wont be bad, but I doubt they're going to be deemed (financial) successes in the long run.
How bout just make it a Switch 2 game instead.
Kinda sad to read that but I have faith they'll deliver and hopefully it'd play even better on new Nintendo hardware!
I wonder if this is more about brand synergy than needing extra time. Looking forward to playing this on my Switch…. 2.
...Ouch. Hopefully the delay is due to further polishing and not only to time it with the anime. I like Level-5, but sometimes it seems like their multimedia pushes hamstring them more than anything.
@Dom_31 You mean Megaton Musashi? I had completely forgot about it until I came across a YT video singing praises about it. Sadly, I don't think it had much advertising, plus it was digital-only to boot. It's like they sent the game out to die.
mannnn, I wanted to play this game. What has level 5 been up to that has caused so many games to be pushed back?
Also, I feel as though this game should not be open-world. I was hoping for something more linear. A bit bored with open-world games as of late.
Wow, 2026, way too far away... Fortunately, we'll have Fantasy Life and Professor Layton for the meawhile. This one will be a Switch 2 game for sure.
Pro tip: Don't announce your game if it's more than two years out from release. Also fire your project manager if your game gets delayed by more than a year.
So this will launch on switch 2? Perfect for me, I have no problem with the delay then 😃
I see Level-5 got its announcement skills from Atlus. They revealed this game way too early and now I'm concerned that there will be no hype by the time it actually releases. Shame because I was excited to play this...
I wish Japanese devs would make a few more games where the main character is an adult. I don’t understand why its away a child.
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