Beta 2 Is In Development
Chrono Studio CEO BongGun Bae shared his thoughts on the development timeline of Chrono Odyssey, especially after all the feedback they received from the beta and the progress they've made since then. The big headline here is that we should expect the game's release to be pushed back. Chrono was originally scheduled to come out later this year, and like many people said, it seemed to lack the polish it needed to actually release in its current state. At least if the beta was a good representation of the release vision of the game. While we know that the beta is actually a build from late last year, there were so many design decisions and points of feedback that the development team found useful. So their plans have changed.
While it seems unlikely that the game is actually going to release this year, we at the very least know that we’re going to get another beta at some point in 2025. BongGun also mentioned that they underestimated the performance issues of the game and they're going to be working hard on that as well. Considering the issues Monster Hunter: Wilds is currently suffering. I think that a lot of people in the industry are paying attention to performance issues and how they can actually hurt the reputation and sales of a game. I think this was taken for granted a lot in the industry over the past few years but now that the newest GPUs are getting harder and harder to get and more expensive, players can't keep up with their demands.
It's nice to see that this has been taken seriously by the team.
Continuing the trend of refreshing engagement from BongGun on social media, he also hosted what was effectively a Q&A session with him in the replies to the tweet.
Other News
While we know a lot of the focus points in detail because of the two developer note posts that were released previously, we got some clarifications on a couple of things.
For one, we found that while the goal of the beta is the next beta is 2025, that could change. So don't be surprised if we get to the end of the year and they're still not ready yet. We also got the confirmation that the game is scheduled to release fully in 2026. He also clarified that they intend to release PC and console versions as close to each other as possible. Likewise he said that they're going to do their best to allow console players to also participate in the beta. Especially because they want to test the cross-play functionality. No guarantees however!
One thing that's probably important to keep in mind is that we should not expect all of the developer note updates to be present in the next beta test. While I don’t expect everybody to be aware of this (as we saw from the first beta test), hopefully content creators (and websites like mine!) can help to spread awareness to keep expectations in check.
And probably the last update from the replies that I personally really care about is that they are investing in making sure that areas have distinct color tones and atmospheres. For me, the open world is one of the biggest strengths of Chrono Odyssey and reminds me a lot of the joy I had exploring New World when that game came out. Normally I get to experience a lot of diverse locations and environments, and colors are a big part of that experience. So it's cool to see that it matters to them.
I've been really enjoying the communication from the dev team. I think for games, especially new ones that are coming out, it's important to establish a strong relationship with your player base. Being able to actually engage one-on-one with the CEO sends a great message to me about their stance on this.
Thanks for reading! If you'd like to read the original tweet, I've quoted it below.
In order to address and improve many aspects of the game based on your expectations, we have adjusted the overall release schedule.
There are more areas to refine than initially anticipated, and our development team is working tirelessly to make sure everything is addressed.
Our goal is to deliver an experience that will fully satisfy you in the next test, so we kindly ask for your patience and understanding.
We are also continuously working on the performance issues, which we admittedly underestimated in the past, and are making steady progress.
Whenever we have good updates along the way, we'll be happy to secretly share them with you.
We consider it our responsibility to respond to every single one of your comments.
By next week, we will provide replies to the existing tweets.— BongGun Bae (@bongunn) January 13, 2025
TLDR
Release is delayed to 2026
CBT2 This year if they can finish in time
Hopeful to have console support in the next beta but not guaranteed
Console release as close to PC release as possible
Performance is one of the biggest focuses for the next beta