Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires delayed until further notice

The Dynasty Warriors franchise has always been varying in levels of quality. Despite most of the games seeming like they’re all the same on the surface, each entry — mainline titles to the spinoffs — has its own unique quirks. For every Hyrule Warriors and Persona 5 Strikers, there is a Berserk and the Band of the Hawk. For every Dynasty Warriors 8 there is… well a Dynasty Warriors 9. However, we’ll still have to wait for the follow up of the ninth main game. Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires has been delayed, and the release date is now unknown.

Originally scheduled to be released early this year, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires has been delayed indefinitely. For those who don’t know, mainline Dynasty Warriors games are often soon followed up by an Empires entry. These are usually (not all of the time, though), a more refined version of the base game with added features. Coming off the heels of Dynasty Warriors 8, considered one of the best in the series, Dynasty Warriors 9 is considered one of the worst. So when Koei Tecmo announced on its Twitter today that the game was delayed, it brought a mixture of relief and concern from fans.

The relief comes via the idea that Koei Tecmo and developer Omega Force realize the reputation the base game has, and that they are trying avoid a repeat of the original game’s woes. But also concern, since the base game released in 2018, around three years ago, and Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is just now getting delayed. Omega Force has set a high bar for itself recently with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and Persona 5 Strikers. It stands to reason it certainly knows it can’t botch another mainline entry.

Hoping for the best

Koei Tecmo said in the tweet that the new launch window will be announced in “future updates” with no exact timeframe. The company did, however, provide a screenshot from the game’s cinematic opening, featured above. Which is… something, I guess. As soon as we know more about the new release date for Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires, we will be sure to let you know.