When it was first announced earlier this year in March 2017, The Occupation immediately had me intrigued. With its 1980’s spy thriller plot, player-driven narrative, and promise of a real-time ticking clock, how could you not be? Unfortunately, the game has flown drastically under everyone’s radar all year, and missing this year’s E3 hasn’t helped. Although, developer White Paper Games’ truancy was a pretty big indicator of yesterday’s news.
Originally given a “Late 2017” release date, the developer’s website has been quietly updated to indicate a new 2018 launch window. In September, White Paper Games announced they signed on with Humble Bundle to publish the game, who’ve experienced a big year becoming a game publisher and getting bought out by IGN.
It’s unclear what, if any, influence Humble Bundle had on this delay. Given how little footage we’ve seen of The Occupation, it landing in 2017 felt like more of a stretch everyday. It’s not all bad news though, as the game will be playable at Double Fine’s annual Day of the Devs event on November 17.
White Paper Games’ previous title, Ether One, received solid reviews when it was released in 2014. This time around, the developer is promising to take the “walking simulator” genre in a new direction with an increased emphasis on player choice. Hopefully we don’t have to wait too much longer to give this historical thriller a go.
