The Godfather Delayed to 2006
It's bad for EA (and possibly worse for Microsoft), but it's being done for the right reasons.
EA's Godfather game may be an offer you can't refuse, but it's also one that you won't be able to take advantage of for a while longer.
The company confirmed this week that the release of the game has been pushed back to next winter so that the developers can "perfect the open-world experience of being a member of the Corleone family."
Instead of putting you in the thick skin of one of the classic movie characters, The Godfather casts you as a lowly thug and challenges you to build up your standing in the Corleone crime family.
But while you don't actually play as any of them, the main characters from Francis Ford Coppola's award-winning movie will be there.
Robert Duvall and James Caan worked with EA to reprise their roles as consigliere Tom Hagen and Sonny Corleone. Marlon Brando's involvement is limited to his physical portrayal of Don Vito Corleone, as the actor passed on before being able to record his dialogue.
The delay of the game is thought to be most damaging to Microsoft, which many are saying was banking of the success of the game to spur sales of its next-generation console.
The Godfather will be released next winter on PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PSP, with the next-gen version to follow sometime afterwards on Xbox 360.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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