D3Publisher and Sandlot have announced that bug-basher Earth Defense Force 6 is being pushed back from its intended release window of Spring 2024 and into Summer 2024.
D3 suggests that the delay is so Sandlot can “add finishing touches and finalize preparations for its Western launch.” That’s basically all I got in terms of new information. I deliver nothing but disappointment.
The Earth Defense Force series started back on the PS2 with Simple 2000 Series Vol. 31: The Chikyū Bōeigun, which was released in Europe as Monster Attack. We didn’t receive the series here in North America until 2006 with Earth Defense Force 2017 on Xbox 360. It was released as a budget game and quickly developed a reputation of being so bad that it’s good. Indeed, a friend and I played it during the early days of the 360, and we loved it despite its immediately apparent jank. I still like to tell the story of how the light bloom from one of the guns would bleed over the split-screen barrier and make it impossible for the other player to see.
The series continued from there, with Sandlot embracing the game’s kusoge aesthetic while also making it a bit more fun and comfortable to play. I wish I was playing Earth Defense Force 5 right now.
Earth Defense Force 6 sees the dregs of humanity protecting their shattered civilization from continued attacks from “invasive” alien species. Thankfully, the eponymous EDF has 1-4 competent soldiers to protect it.
Earth Defense Force 6 will be coming West sometime in Summer 2024. It’s set to release on PS4, PS5, and PC.