Grinding Gear Games has confirmed that the beta for its dungeon-exploration sequel Path of Exile 2 will not take place this year; it will have to wait until 2021.

The game was originally targeted for a late 2020 release, but in February studio co-founder Chris Wilson warned that estimates would likely be revised due to the coronavirus. At the time, outsourced artists in China were told to stay home, and staff working on the sequel were moved to the "Delirium" expansion to avoid delays.

No date has been announced yet, but Path of Exile's community director confirmed in a forum announcement that it "definitely will not happen this year."

"We are focused on getting the League out on schedule as much as possible, which means some delay for the sequel. We look forward to the next announcement about its upcoming content and will continue to build on the technical improvements we can make to existing Path of Exile clients."

Path of Exile's latest expansion, Harvest, arrived on June 19 after a brief delay, with two more planned for the rest of the year. However, the postponement caused a stir in the works and necessitated a change in schedule so that the final expansion in December would not be too close to the holidays when the staff would be on vacation.

The next league will start in September, 12 weeks after Harvest. This should also mean that the December expansion will start earlier. The dates are subject to change, but both will be released in the middle of their respective months.