We've got some good and bad news fighting game fans. If you were looking forward to the arrival of Hunter X Hunter: Nen x Impact (based on the anime and manga series), Arc System Works has now announced it's delayed the launch until 2025.
According to a translation by the Arc System Works social account, this delay is to allow the team to implement rollback netcode. The release date will now be shared at a "later time", so when we get an update, we'll let you know. Here's the full message:
The release timing for HUNTER×HUNTER NEN×IMPACT will be changed from the previously announced 2024 timing to now release within 2025.
We sincerely apologize for the trouble caused by this delay to the players who are looking forward to the game’s release.
This delay is so that we will be able to implement rollback netcode for release. *Rollback netcode is a system that reduces the feeling of connection delay when playing online matches.
We made this decision out of concern that players would not be able to fully enjoy the game in a state where some players would encounter issues with online play, given the nature of fighting games.
The release date will be announced at a later time. We appreciate your understanding, as we continue to work to provide the best game possible.
From the HUNTER×HUNTER NEN×IMPACT Production Team
Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact was originally revealed earlier this year in January and confirmed for the Switch in March. You can check the trailer as well as our previous coverage here on Nintendo Life.
Will you be checking out this game when it eventually arrives on the Switch? Let us know in the comments.
[source x.com]
Comments 13
I honestly figured that this was getting delayed since they kept announcing nearly the whole roster it seems but we hadn't gotten any update on the release date. But its crazy they didn't have rollback right away. Considering how hardcore Eighting's fighters can skew, that audience would of immediately ran away over no rollback, so if this delay is just to put in rollback, it's probably for the best for this game to have its best chance
Why did I think that looked like Phoenix Wright for a second....
Am I the only one who thought of this?
Sadly, this cannot save a fighting game on Switch, even WITH rollback.
I'm curious, does it really take that much to implement rollback netcode? Especially when it's an already familiar engine where games have gotten rollback before?
Seriously? They wanted to release it WITHOUT rollback netcode? What a joke...
I mean, it wouldn’t BE HUNTER X HUNTER without some sort of delay after all 😅
@anoyonmus Same devs as MVC3
As always will absolutely take a delay if it means getting a better game from the get-go and nice that we know in what way it will be so in this case - they should've implemented rollback netcode from the start but still, better late than never!
@Sonicka Well said my friend. 🤣 I'm actually really looking forward to this game. It's not like every other anime fighter where it's got those ugly 2d Cell shaded graphics like every Naruto or anime game in general. The only company I seen do it right was the people who made Dragonball fighterZ. Could you imagine a crossover anime fighter in those graphics? Or even a standalone Naruto like FighterZ.? That would be like crack especially with the roster they could bring to the table. I have a feeling Hunter X is going to be mediocre at best even though in my opinion the graphics and style is beautiful. It looks to me like it's going to be a simple hi punch low punch high kick low kick and 2-4 unique abilities for every character and every sequence of combo is going to be an easy input. Making it a children's fighting game that's too easy and lacks combos. Bandai really should have did Jump Force in FighterZ style. It'd probably have never of been dropped in a year and a half like it was if they did. That game was a sloppy mess. But so is 9/10 anime fighting games. Considering sightings is doing this game I'm really worried that they was even considering going without rollback. I'd rather them take all the time they could possibly need to polish Togashi Sensei's beloved IP and make it as enjoyable as can be. I don't understand alot of game companies that just half ass a title and launch it with tons of bugs like alot of them do. It's almost like they don't test the stuff out before launch. I mean 100 percent of the time if your a game programmer and maker then you're an actual gamer as well. So why do developers dish out unfinished messes and risk the off chance that people get the unfinished product and drop it before it can even be patched. First impressions are everything and all it takes is someone like NL and IGN to give an honest review of the early game that bashes it and well it's all she wrote from there. Once a game has a bad reputation most people won't give the time of day to even chance spending their hard earned dollars on it to try for themselves therefore the game crashes before it even left the gate. I've seen it happen time and time again. a delay of 2025 just to add rollback netcode sounds very ridiculous to me though. There's no way it takes months just to program roll back. Regardless though HXH is nostalgic for me so it's gonna be a day one purchase even if reviews are bad. Here's to hoping they do right by it and make it fighting game tournament material.
Got to play the demo of this a couple of months back and it was pretty solid, but 5 minutes isnt really enough to get a huge feel and test the waters.
The stand was super low key and photography etc was banned, so it's not surprising that they are delaying it. There's stuff they're obviously not happy with under the hood.
The HxH manga finally makes it's very much anticipated return this week, so they were probably hoping to launch very soon to capitalise on the hype from that on top of holiday sales but it's better to get the game running as best as possible. These types of games live and die on how they're received after the initial wave of people buying on IP awareness alone is gone.
@Samalik The character designs date back to the original manga released is 1998, several years before the first Ace Attorney game and well over a decade before Marvel vs Capcom 3.
I don’t imagine that game — or the devs behind it — played a large a role in shaping these characters’ designs.
Good call. I hope they can add the English dub cast too, but I'm not holding my breath.
1) I'm not upset at all, and I doubt anyone is so hungry for this game that they're fuming about the delay, either. It will just make for a better product in the end.
2) Several fighting games have gotten rollback netcode on the Switch. This makes me very, very hopeful that the next Smash Bros game will get rollback netcode as well.
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