Odyssey is the big, new expansion that is supposed to add important gameplay elements to Elite Dangerous this year. However, the addon will take a little longer to arrive.
When will Odyssey be released? When the Odyssey expansion got a gameplay trailer last December, a release date of “early 2021” was mentioned, which is no longer valid. As the developers announced through a blog post on the Elite Dangerous homepage, the content must be postponed due to the Corona pandemic. The new schedule is as follows:
- The alpha for PC is set to come in “early spring”, meaning early spring 2021, to “get a foot on the ground,” according to the developers. This is slightly later than originally planned.
- The complete PC release will then come in “late spring” 2021, with no exact date provided.
- The console release will take place in fall 2021. This is where the biggest shift in the new schedule lies.
Our PC plans are only slightly affected, but our plans for the console version will unfortunately experience a larger development delay. Please know that these difficult decisions were made with the focus on making Odyssey as incredible as possible for all our commanders, regardless of their platform, while also respecting realistic project timelines for our teams during this difficult global situation.
Developer statement (via EliteDangerous.com)
In the statement, the developers emphasize their apology for the delay: “We understand that this additional delay will be frustrating for many. We would like to sincerely apologize to our community once again, especially to our console commanders.” They want to ensure that the console versions meet the highest standards and have therefore decided to extend the roadmap.
What’s behind Odyssey
What’s included in the addon? Odyssey is supposed to expand the space sim Elite Dangerous with important gameplay elements, which have long been requested by fans.
Two features stand out:
- On the one hand, “space legs” are coming into play, which simply means that players can leave their ships and vehicles to explore the world of Elite Dangerous on foot. This allows them to explore planets, buildings, or stations on their two feet.
- Additionally, shooter elements will also be introduced with space legs. Players will be able to equip their characters with firearms and engage in combat.
Elite Dangerous will thus become much more versatile and take a new direction. For MeinMMO author Sven Galitzki, the addon is an exciting step he has been waiting for a long time. However, the wait will take a bit longer now.
