Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game Postponed on Xbox Just Hours Before Release

About 13 hours before its launch, the official social media account for Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game dropped some disappointing news for fans eager to jump into the action. The Xbox version of the game has been pushed back to September, and the Nintendo Switch version will not support cross-play at launch. However, the PlayStation 5 and Windows PC versions remain on track.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances regarding a backend feature, we will now launch by Sept. 3 (on Xbox). Existing pre-orders will remain active and will not be canceled,” the announcement stated. Xbox players are likely accustomed to these kinds of setbacks, as the console often gets overlooked for fighting games. Titles like Guilty Gear Strive took an additional two years to arrive on Xbox. Meanwhile, the Sony-published Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is launching exclusively on PlayStation 5 and PC. Given the history of delays, it’s still surprising to see this news surface so close to the release date.

The delay for Xbox users is a setback for the overall player base, which can be detrimental for fighting games, especially with the Switch version lacking cross-play at launch. Additionally, only the Standard Edition will be available for the Switch at launch, while the Deluxe Edition—which includes a digital art book, original soundtrack, and the Year 1 Pass for DLC characters—will not be offered. The Switch version will also only be available in English, but the team is hopeful about addressing these issues in the future.

These announcements highlight that Avatar Legends is facing some challenges. In the pre-release version we tested, three of the twelve characters underwent significant animation and gameplay changes right up until launch. In an interview, the developers mentioned that Avatar Aang and Nightmare Korra, alternate versions of the main characters with unique moves, will receive further refinements down the line.

Ozai also had placeholder animations in the final pre-release version we played, undergoing a major gameplay overhaul just before launch. While Avatar Aang and Nightmare Korra already stand out from their clone counterparts, and Ozai shows promise, it’s unusual to see such substantial character adjustments so close to release. It’s possible that compromises were made to ensure the game launched alongside the new movie, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, which is also debuting today. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game offers exciting bending duels, but it’s a letdown that fans on Xbox and Switch won’t get the full experience right away.

Avatar Legends is shaping up to be a fantastic fighting game—unless you’re going it alone.