He-Man's Stunning-Looking Beat 'Em Up Delayed Just Two Weeks Before Release

Now coming in the summer

by Alana Hagues 3 hours ago

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction is one of our most-anticipated releases for the Switch this year. There's no more perfect a marriage between side-scrolling beat 'em up and IP in our mind, and after Bitmap Bureau's Terminator 2D: NO FATE, we're eager to see how they handle another '80s icon.

Well, we'll have to wait a little bit longer, as published Limited Run Games has announced that the game will now release in the summer. This comes just two weeks before the He-Man's original release date of 28th April.

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube845k

Sharing a message on social media, the publisher says that while "we're nearing the end of development", the team still needs "additional time" to make sure that "this release will excite and challenge fans across all generations."

Here's Limited Run's statement in full:

A special notice to the Heroic Warriors of Eternia:

We’re nearing the end of development for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction. To ensure that this release will excite and challenge fans across all generations, additional time for development is needed. We can assure you that you’ll be venturing through Eternia in no time as He-Man, Teela, Man-At-Arms, and She-Ra in peak arcade glory.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction will release digitally this summer on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series XIS, and PC.

Thank you for your continued patience as we take additional time to refine the game and deliver an experience worthy of fans. We look forward to welcoming players into Eternia as they join He-Man in defending the planet from Skeletor.

No doubt disappointing news for you retro-style brawler fans, but it's only a small delay, and April is a pretty packed month as it is. So we'll be waiting patiently to get our hands on this one later in the year.

Are you looking forward to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction? Share the power in the comments.

[source x.com]

Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second. She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories. She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate.

1
TheBoilerman
3 hours ago

As for the 80s, I was primarily a GI Joe and Transformers kid, but He-man was right there too. And I do love a good beat-em-up. Delays suck, but maybe it'll be alright.

2
JohnnyMind
3 hours ago

As usual I don't mind delays if they mean getting better games from the get-go - absolutely looking forward to this whenever it comes out this summer (it's so cool to get a He-Man game nowadays in general and even more so based on what has been shown of this one in particular)!

3
Windbreaker1612
2 hours ago

By the power of grey skull, that sucks. So looking forward to this! But getting it right is important and worth the 2 week delay IMO. Correction many weeks delay 😞

4
foursider
2 hours ago

Snarf! Snarf! Oh, wait.

I mean, it's been 40 years, so what's a couple more weeks. 🙃

Like, @JohnnyMind, said, if a better game comes out of it, bring on the delay. I got enough to keep me busy.

5
Tasuki
2 hours ago

Of course its been delayed this is Limited Run Games after all. We will probably get it in 2 years like everything else Limited Run Games does.

6
topher6490
2 hours ago

@Windbreaker1612 Just to clarify, the delay is occurring two weeks before release. It's not coming two weeks later. It now simply has a summer release window (6/21-9/22).

I'm tempering expectations. G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra and Karate Kid: Street Rumble also looked pretty, but played terribly. And Bitmap Bureau, while they certainly don't make bad games, I have been disappointed with every game I've ever bought of theirs. I didn't care much for Final Vendetta and Terminator 2D last year was a bummer. Xeno Crisis is also the only game I've ever supported on Kickstarter, and I thought that was pretty meh as well. I think they're talented, they just don't have the budget and it usually shows.

I'll probably just stick with Streets of Rage, TMNT, Marvel, and Power Rangers.

7
KociolekDoSyta
2 hours ago

Oh man, I really waited for it. Well... I'll just play something else from my 300 other games then. I hate how little of a choice I have hehe. I'm happy that I chose Switch with physicals over Steam and PC.

@topher6490 Check out Skinny & Franko: Fists of Violence, it's great

8
Windbreaker1612
2 hours ago

@topher6490 my bad, misread as at work and should be working rather than quickly reading stuff on here! That's even worse, but as stated, more important to get it right!

9
jedomann
2 hours ago

Two weeks is nothing if it makes the game just a little better. Day one purchase for me.

10
shoeses
2 hours ago

@TheBoilerman I still think Transformers would make a sick Beat 'Em Up. Could get really creative with the hazards, Stage design, & Boss Fights especially.

11
Aquinas
2 hours ago

Better to make it right than release garbage. (Looking at you, GameFreak...........)

12
tuffy
2 hours ago

Pretty sure the movie has a June release date, and for the game of the same franchise to just slide on past it into summer is a pretty serious miss and not something the devs did lightly.

13
thefly0810
1 hour ago

I was worried about a delay when I saw the game wasn't popping up on any of the console storefronts in the coming soon sections

14
Teksette
1 hour ago

Obviously Ram-Man is not leading the dev team!
I am totes ok with this delay, as it’s only this week that I’ll FINALLY get to play Marvel Cosmic Invasion (it’s been a long wait for that physical).

I guess this means the He-Man physical won’t arrive till early 2027 though, which is a bummer.

15
AmplifyMJ
1 hour ago

I have the POWER! To delay as I see fit. Now that’s power

16
Tasuki
1 hour ago

@jedomann Read the article it hasnt been delayed for two weeks, it was due to come out in two weeks. Its been delayed till Summer.

17
HolyGeez03
1 hour ago

Maybe it'll be out when the movie hits streaming... which is probably when anyone will see the movie.

18
rjejr
1 hour ago

If they can release it near the movie that's probably a plus, today is the first I can recall reading about it. When I saw the post earlier today on bluesky I thought the movie had been delayed.

19
Blast16
56 mins ago

@Tasuki game could come out in September if being technical for a summer release. I’m not buying unless it gets a physical release, so maybe late 2027… oh well, I guess. LRG needs to get it together and fast. I’m already on the verge of canceling a few preorders.

20
BrewsterTea
44 mins ago

Everyone!! Click on this article, please!! It's positively stunning, stunning

21
LikelySatan
43 mins ago

There are so many great beat em' ups out and coming out. I still think Fight N' Rage and SoR 4 are peak, but variety is welcome.
I just grabbed Absolum, digitally, so I am looking forward to starting that.
Looking forward to this.

22
jedomann
43 mins ago

@Tasuki Oh, no!! I slightly misphrased my inconsequential comment about a silly game! Thank goodness you pointed that out to me!!!

23
Kyloctopus
41 mins ago

They probably wanted this out in time with the live action movie. Hopefully devs aren’t losing sleep over this.

There is going to be a turn-based, co-op Masters of the Universe game coming still in time with the film, but its not coming to Switch.