I'm going to lock this thread, it's gone beyond the realm of being helpful or productive. It's nice of folks to jump in and try and "defend" 343 or share a voice of reason but I also fully understand and empathize with everyone that's disappointed and upset over the delay for this DLC.
1. The team is still working hard to get Colony released this week. Things are looking positive on that front but I'm not going to confirm a new release date until we're 100% certain it's through test and cert and truly ready to release.
2. We're all disappointed with this turn of events. The broader team is meeting to review the remaining DLC plans and re-align on setting proper expectations with players - i.e. "third Wednesday of the month" was mentioned back at launch as a target but it's become clear that we're better setting fan expectations more loosely and better coordinate marketing and promotional hype with a realistic release timeframe.
3. The team didn't rush to push out the patch and balance fixes because it's all intertwined and complex. It's not as simple as "oh well the new leader is delayed so let's just get the patch out now." It's all one in the same and breaking it apart would then require a brand new standalone cert and test pass which would reset that timeline and then put the Colony DLC itself on pause to then go back through a different/new pass itself. So, while it seems like an easy thing, it's unfortunately not.
4. Quality is the top priority for this and all future DLC and updates to Halo Wars 2. Ensuring a positive player experience and high quality bar will always take precedent over a date (though obviously the goal is to solve for both).
5. To folks ranting about being deceived or misled, the "3rd Wednesday of the month" was our own "target" that we publicly set when the game launched. The Season Pass itself specifically promises "regular updates that span more than six months, including: New Leaders with abilities that change the course of multiplayer matches, new units that add to your multiplayer arsenal, new Blitz cards to collect and take into battle, and new campaign missions that expand the Halo Wars 2 story." We very much plan to ship new content on a monthly cadence but there's no legal obligation or deceptive advertising going on here.
We appreciate the patience and understanding by some of you but I also appreciate the disappointment and frustration from others. It's a regrettable situation that the team is committed to improving upon for the remaining DLC. Hopefully we'll have a new update to share soon. thanks!
