Atelier Ryza 3 Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key has had its release date moved back a whole month to March 23 and 24, 2023, fully departing from its February 22 and 24 release date, with the former for consoles and the latter for the PC. KOEI TECMO earlier made the announcement.
The previous entry, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy was released in January 2 years ago with the digital version for PS5 released a month before.
Producer Junzo Hosoi has a message for fans concerning the delay, summarized as them adding more polish and apologizing for the delay for the “culmination of Ryza’s story”, stating that this is the finale of her story.
The message reads as follows:
We apologize for this delay to everyone who has been looking forward to the release of Atelier Ryza 3.
In order to to make this game a fitting finale for Ryza and her friends, we have taken on challenges such as adventuring in a vast open field and graphics that express the charm of these characters to the fullest extent.
Our team will take this additional time to fine-tune the final touches so that we can deliver to all of you who have been following the series for the best possible experience in this culmination of Ryza and her friends’ adventures.
We are making the game even better to make it worth your wait, so we appreciate your patience for a just little bit more until the game’s release.
– Junzo Hosoi, Producer
Is Atelier Ryza 3 the last game?
Atelier Ryza 3 is the third title in the “Secret” JRPG series, alongside Atelier Ryza (2019) and Atelier Ryza 2 (2021), the third game is stated to be the culmination of Ryza and her friends’ adventures. As such, a finale needs to end on a high note, thus the reason for the delay.
Save the dates, Ryza fans! March 23-24, 2023. Hope the extra month afforded to them by moving the release date irons out the issues that might’ve arisen within the game before release such as possible game-breaking ones.
While this is not on my To-Play list personally, a lot of friends are a bit dismayed by its delay and hope for the best that the new release date does not get pushed back further.
Atelier Ryza 3 Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is now set to release on March 24, 2023, for international markets ON PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC (via Steam).