Demonschool, the forthcoming RPG Eurogamer described as “Persona meets Buffy”, has been delayed once again due to the surprise release of Hollow Knight Silksong.
The game was originally intended for a release last year, but was delayed until 3rd September this year. Now it’s moved back to 19th November thanks to “brutal” market conditions.
The decision appears to have been made by publisher Ysbryd Games. “With 11 years under our belt as an indie publisher, we at Ysbryd Games are reasonably qualified to say that any point of 2025 on balance, has been or will be as brutal as market conditions can get when it comes to releasing a game,” it wrote in a statement on social media. “Crueler still, that we should find out with such short notice that Hollow Knight Silksong will launch just one day after our planned release for Demonschool.”
Visibility is of prime importance for the publisher; as such “we would not be doing our game any favours by wading into waters we can clearly see are blood red”. Instead, it wants to allow Silksong to have its moment, and for Demonschool to follow.
The publisher has also confirmed there will be no more delays after this. Until release, more time will be spent polishing and enhancing the game experience, with more endings and minigames originally planned for a post-release patch to be included at launch.
“This was not our choice but we understand why the choice was made,” wrote the developer Necrosoft Games in response. “We aren’t mad at Ysbryd but at the situation. Dropping the GTA of indie games with 2 weeks notice makes everyone freak out. Ysbryd is being a good partner and paying for the delay. We’re sorry this is happening.”
I went hands-on with a demo of Demonschool last year and came away impressed by its haunted university setting, graphic style, and turn-based combat.
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