The reason for the delay, according to EA Canada creative director Todd Batty, is to allow the development team to polish the game and make sure it is the best build possible on release.
”We recently decided to take a couple of extra weeks to give our game the final bit of polish we think it deserves,” said Batty on his blog, ”We hope that given how long you have waited for SSX to come back, you won’t mind waiting just a little bit longer.”
Batty went on to say that having extra time to develop a game was something he’s always wanted but was never granted before.
”Over the course of more than 10 years of making games I have not worked on a single project where our team did not wish, coming down the home stretch, that we could have just a bit more time. Time to do all the little things that may not be noticeable during the first hour or two playing the game, but are appreciated over the course of days, weeks, months and beyond. SSX was one of the games that always took the time to do exactly that.”
”There is a reason why Tricky and SSX3 are still among the highest rated games of all time,” Batty added. ”And it is because even playing them today they still stand the test of time. Our goal from day one was to re-launch this amazing franchise with a new SSX game that could live up to that legacy. We are incredibly proud of where we are today and extremely thankful for all the support that you, the community, have given us in helping to shape this game. We are making this game for you, and we want to make sure that you’ll love it.”
The last SSX title was released in 2007 for the Wii, SSX Blur.
