BODY: Just days before launch, the co-op sibling horror title REANIMAL has hit a snag on Nintendo's newest hardware. The Switch 2 version of the game's first major DLC, "The Expanded World" Vol. 1, has been pushed back nearly four months — from June 9 to September 30, 2026.
The delay specifically affects the Nintendo Switch 2 edition. Versions on other platforms are expected to proceed on their original schedules, leaving Switch 2 owners in the unusual position of being last to receive content that originally promised platform parity at launch.
REANIMAL is a two-player cooperative horror adventure from Tarsier Studios, the team behind the acclaimed Little Nightmares series. Players guide a brother and sister through a nightmarish island where twisted creatures stalk the pair, leaning heavily on shared puzzle-solving and stealth. "The Expanded World" was pitched as an ongoing DLC initiative adding new regions, enemies, and story threads — a substantial post-launch commitment that made the Switch 2 delay particularly notable.
Tarsier and publisher THQ Nordic have not disclosed the specific technical reasons for the postponement, citing only the need for additional development time to meet quality standards on the new Nintendo platform. No price changes or compensation for affected Switch 2 owners have been announced.
The insider take
Nintendo Switch 2 launched in Japan to enormous demand, but third-party developers here are still navigating a hardware transition that's proving trickier than the marketing suggested. Japanese gaming press, AUTOMATON included, have quietly noted a pattern of Switch 2 ports either slipping or shipping in rougher shape than their PS5/Xbox counterparts — a sensitive topic given Nintendo's traditionally protective stance on platform quality. For a niche co-op horror title like REANIMAL, which relies on word-of-mouth among genre fans, a four-month content gap on one platform is more than a scheduling footnote — it risks fracturing the player base right when momentum matters most.
Originally reported by AUTOMATON (Japanese).