While its name may be a bit unwieldy, VA-11 Hall-A tells a remarkably engaging cyberpunk story filled with all sorts of wacky characters. So if you're like me and you were hoping to get your hands on the sequel, N1RV Ann-A, I'm afraid I have some bad news.

Not only is N1RV Ann-A continuing the 2020 tradition of being delayed, but it doesn't look like it'll be launching any time soon either as the developers have now set its release date as "when it's done." The reason for this, as is often the case with games that turn out to be hits, is that N1RV Ann-A has grown significantly more ambitious than its predecessor and thus requires a lot more work to fully finish.

"As of the time of writing this post we have a clear idea for what the plot is and how it should go, and we’re taking steps so that we can restart production in a more formal way instead of keep doing things like in the days of VA-11 Hall-A where we did things as they came," reads the lengthy developer update. "More control means easier planning of a schedule which will be crucial if we want to accomplish all the big things that we want to do with N1RV Ann-A both in and out of the game."

"Even with at least two side projects in parallel, we have enough breathing room where N1RV Ann-A won’t be compromised by a lack of attention. I’m technically the head writer and planner of this project and only this project, so during this planning phase no resources are being diverted away from N1RV Ann-A. When the time comes to move to another stage of development we can focus our resources accordingly depending on the current stage of each project. It’s our utmost interest that we don’t spread ourselves too thin."

"This I can promise you though, the next time you hear publicly and loudly of N1RV Ann-A it’ll be unforgettable, and when the project is done the wait will be worth it. Until then, and with my most sincere apologies to everyone that’s been looking forward to the game, let’s make this a trip where everyone can see the road we’re taking."

While I am slightly worried about multiple projects competing for the attention of the relatively small Sukeban Games team, the devs do seem to have everything planned out. So here's to hoping that not only will N1RV Ann-A end up being pretty good, but that the extra time in development will allow it to far surpass the original!

You can read more about N1RV Ann-A's delay, as well as keep an eye on any future announcements, over at the official website.