Action-RPG fans eager to get their hands on Path of Exile 2 may not want to hold their breath, as this ambitious sequel expansion (preview here) is unlikely to be released this year. In a phone interview about the original Path of Exile end-game expansion, studio head Chris Wilson spoke about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the New Zealand studio.

"I hate to blame COVID, but that's a big part of it at the moment. The closed border to New Zealand has made it difficult to hire internationally, which has held back our asset production team a bit from growing by leaps and bounds." Development hasn't progressed as fast as we would have liked, so our goal is to get the full force behind the development of Path of Exile 2 by the end of 2021 and see how much progress we can make. We are trying to accomplish as much as possible and doing so will give us a good release date outlook.

When asked for clarification on whether Path of Exile 2 will probably be released sometime in 2022, Wilson said, "Yes, I think that's accurate." He also noted that working from home during the lockdown had delayed the production of the last several major updates. While not fatal, it contributed to the slight delay of the next expansion.

Still, it's not all doom and gloom for Path of Exile fans: the Echoes of the Atlas expansion (out January 15) will bring a large number of new environments to the game's sprawling endgame, some of which use assets from the sequel, and will also bring Path of Exile 2's new aesthetic, as well as new bosses reminiscent of Path of Exile 2. There are also new bosses that are reminiscent of Path of Exile 2's new aesthetic. This may help bridge the gap when Path of Exile 2 is released.

However, Echoes of the Atlas is likely to be the biggest update PoE will see this year as Grinding Gear focuses on Path of Exile 2 production. While quarterly updates and league events will continue as planned, they may become a bit less ambitious for a while. Still, having played and enjoyed the early build of PoE2 unveiled at Exilecon in November 2019, I think it will be worth the wait.

To learn more about Path of Exile: Echoes of the Atlas, check out this preview or watch the trailer below.