Hinterland Studio's The Long Dark is a wonderful open world survival game that's spent the last three years scavenging the depths of Steam's Early Access initiative. As you may've spied back in May, its long-awaited Story Mode and subsequent full release are both due on August 1 which, you may also have noticed, is next week.
Changes to the game's PEGI (Pan European Game Information) rating in Europe have thrown that out slightly for console owners, but don't worry: Steam, therefore PC, isn't affected by this.
"For PEGI, which covers all of Europe, and also Russia, we have been issued a '16' rating, which means you have to be 16 or older to purchase and play the game," explains the developer via a news post on the game's site. "This PEGI-16 rating was an unexpected surprise to us, as we had a PEGI-12 rating going into our Certification process with Microsoft and Sony. Unfortunately, we just received this rating earlier this week and we are now forced to re-submit the game to Sony Europe for approval. #
"As a result, our launch in Europe on PS4 is being delayed until August 8th… for Steam, we will launch worldwide on August 1st. There is no ratings requirement or certification process on Steam."
Hinterland goes on to stress its disappointment with the situation however underscores the decision is outwith its control.
In any event, consider this a PSA. The Long Dark is due on PC this coming Tuesday, August 1. Here's another gander at its Story Mode announcement trailer:
The Long Dark's Early Access variation out now on the Humble Store for £14.99/$19.99. Its Story Mode is due August 1, which is when the game will also release in full.
Some online stores give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.