Stronghold: Warlords has been delayed until March because multiplayer is 'simply not ready'

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You'll have to wait a little longer to build the perfect castle.

Top down view of an army firebombing a castle wall
(Image credit: FireFly Studios)

Firefly Studios has delayed feudal Far-Eastern RTS Stronghold: Warlords until March 9th, the studio announced this week.

The latest in Firefly's venerable castle-managing strategy series, Warlords moves setting from Europe to East Asia and makes a number of changes to the ways Stronghold handles walls and unit formations. But while previously scheduled for a January 26th release, the current state of the game's multiplayer means Firefly has postponed release until March 9.

"The reason behind this is that the game's multiplayer is simply not ready to be released yet," Firefly write. "We have run into some unexpected issues with it and, while we have worked very hard to resolve these with our current deadlines, we need more time to iron them out."

Firefly did briefly look into launching Warlords without multiplayer, and adding it in a later post-release update. But as the post explains, the studio has been promising multiplayer at launch for over a year, and Firefly feel it "wouldn't be fair" to drop it at the last minute. Stronghold: Warlords will launch on Steam March 9.

Natalie Clayton
Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.