Pragmata remains highly anticipated by Famitsu readers despite its indefinite delay

Pragmata recently racked up 466 votes, edging out heavyweights like Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond—titles that actually seem on track for a release within the coming year. This isn’t just a flash in the pan, though. Ever since its debut in 2020, Pragmata has been a reliable presence in Famitsu’s reader polls, frequently landing in the top three over the past few years. You’d have to flip back to September 2023 to find an issue where it didn’t crack the top ten most anticipated games.

The numbers might be eye-catching, but they don’t paint the full picture. Over the past five years, glimpses of Pragmata have been limited to striking cinematics and brief gameplay teasers, making it a mystery what exactly has fans so enthralled. I confess, the initial reveal piqued my curiosity as well, but its tumultuous development journey has landed it in the same mental drawer as Deep Down—a sleek Capcom project that garnered hype but never saw daylight.

Much of what we know about Pragmata is gleaned from Capcom’s marketing materials, which bill the game as “an all-new action adventure set in a near-future dystopian moon world with a deeply profound story,” a narrative echoed on both PlayStation and Xbox storefronts.

The development team expressed regret with another delay, stating, “It is with a heavy heart that we must further postpone the release of Pragmata. Our team is working diligently to craft the best game possible, but we need more time. We promise to do our utmost to deliver a final product that justifies your patience.”

So, will Pragmata go the way of Deep Down, or might it make a triumphant return like Fumito Ueda’s The Last Guardian, surprising even its staunchest fans? Could Capcom be waiting for the next console generation? It’s hard to predict, but one thing is for sure: Pragmata left a significant mark on the gaming landscape. It would be unfortunate for Capcom to let that kind of enduring anticipation dissipate once more.