The Sinking City 2 Release Pushed to Early 2026 Due to War Effects and Genre Change

Frogwares Delays The Sinking City 2 to 2026 Amid Ongoing Conflict

In a significant update, Ukrainian game developer Frogwares has announced a shift in the release timeline for its upcoming title, The Sinking City 2. The game will now be released in the first half of 2026, a delay primarily driven by the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The challenges of war have introduced substantial obstacles, including severe power outages and a constant concern for the safety of developers.

“Developing a game during a war isn’t something you can ever really prepare for, but something you need to keep adapting to. At one point, we were losing power for days as drones and missiles hit our power grid. When that tactic stopped working, it became mass drone swarms every other night, going from midnight until dawn. You work all day, then spend the sleepless night listening for explosions, and somehow still need to function the next morning… These things all slowed us down regularly to the point where it just doesn’t make sense to try to rush what we have left to meet a date that we no longer feel is worth chasing. How Moscow’s tactics to terrorize civilians will change again as winter comes is anyone’s guess, so we’d rather be ready to adapt again, knowing we’re able to take our time.”

Sergiy Oganesyan, the Head of Publishing at Frogwares, emphasized the harsh realities that the development team is facing. As winter approaches, it remains uncertain how the conflict may evolve, prompting the studio to prioritize its safety and the quality of their work over adhering to a previously established deadline.

Game Genre Transition Adding Development Complexity

In addition to the external pressures of war, Frogwares is also experiencing a slowdown in development due to a significant shift in the game’s genre. Moving from the action/adventure framework of the original game to a survival horror format poses unique design challenges. Lead Game Designer Alexander Gresko elaborated on this transition:

“Switching to survival horror for the first time has been a whole new kind of challenge for us in itself, too. We’ve been making investigation adventures for more than twenty years, but survival horror asks for a completely different kind of design thinking. Tension, pacing, combat, etc. We’ve always loved the genre as fans, but once you start building it yourself, you realize how much you still have to do. It’s exciting, but it definitely makes development slower.”

This genre transition not only redefines the gameplay experience but also requires a re-evaluation of design processes, which contributes to the extended development timeline. Frogwares recognizes the need to adapt its approach to meet the expectations of survival horror enthusiasts while maintaining the core elements that fans loved in the earlier titles.

Looking Ahead

As Frogwares continues to navigate these challenges, the studio has pledged to keep the community updated with more gameplay details and insights in the upcoming months. Fans of The Sinking City can look forward to a deeper immersion into a darker, more intense world that can be expected with the sequel.

For more detailed information and the latest updates, feel free to explore the official announcement here.