Trouble brewing for Path of Exile players

Today's announcement does not indicate that Path of Exile (PoE) isnt coming, but it isn't great news either way. Path of Exile 2's early access delay seemed to hint at issues, and it was clear that experienced PoE staff would be needed to prepare PoE 2 for release. Even after early access launched, Game Director Jonathan Rogers admitted that the team needed to stay and help out.

In what is surely sad news for PoE players, the current league, which would have been running for 7 months come February, is going to be extended. Grinding Gear Games (GGG) is prioritizing the PoE 2's 0.2 patch release and expects to need the team to support that patch for several weeks. Consequently, work on PoE's 3.26 league is progressing slowly.

The delay to PoE's 3.26 league wasn't officially announced but was discussed on a live stream. Initially set for mid-February, this "new date" is no longer holding, and no new date or launch window has been revealed. The studio still has a lot to figure out about supporting both games simultaneously, which isn't comforting news.

Rogers ends the video with an apology, acknowledging that players deserve better. He admits that his decision to move PoE staff to PoE 2 was a mistake, although he "thought they had time."

The transparency from GGG is commendable, as Rogers even discusses his own missteps. However, this situation raises concerns about future staffing. Will GGG hire additional staff, and even if they do, will the new hires be ready to contribute immediately? The predicament should have been more predictable, considering Rogers had to apologize for his previous oversight regarding database migration.

In summary, while work on PoE 3.26 continues, it is slow, and the current league's extended duration is a result of the prioritization of PoE 2's patch support.