Path of Exile 2 is getting delayed thanks to its microtransactions

Path of Exile 2 was set to hit early access on November 15, but it has experienced another delay — although a shorter one this time.

Developer Grinding Gear Games published a video Tuesday with game director Jonathan Rogers announcing the three-week delay to December 6. According to Rogers, it’s not because the game itself needs work. Rather, the team needs more time for “server-side infrastructure work” surrounding the migration of microtransactions.

The free-to-play game series on console and PC makes money off mainly cosmetic microtransactions, and players have amassed years of weapon skins, pets, and decorations. Grinding Gear previously confirmed that players will be able to transfer their microtransactions over from PC and console, and that Path of Exile 2 would feature the same model as its predecessor, but it’s proven more difficult than expected for the team to implement.

“Not only do we have to create a bunch of new systems, we have to make sure that only old data is backwards compatible with them as well,” Rogers said in the video, which you can watch below. “We have to get everything perfect so that nobody loses anything they paid for, and nobody has their account broken.”

Rogers added that the team could’ve potentially launched on the original date, but didn’t want to take any chances. He also takes full responsibility for the delay, and added that there will be a live stream at launch to discuss all the Path of Exile 2 content.

Path of Exile 2 has been in development for a long time. It was announced in 2019, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A beta was set to launch in summer 2024, but was delayed to further polish gameplay.

The studio was able to show off its progress at Summer Game Fest 2024. In a 30-minute demo, Digital Trends was immediately sucked in. “For now, it seems like a robust free-to-play RPG for players who missed the Diablo 4 wave or want a new action-packed, dark fantasy experience.”