Update 2: NIS America has now confirmed that Disgaea 5 Complete is delayed until sometime in the summer. The studio said that during the beta testing process, "we came across a new issue that requires additional attention that will take more time to resolve" than it had allotted in the original release schedule.

"Unfortunately, until this issue can be resolved, the release date will be postponed, and we are now targeting a release for Summer 2018," it said. "We offer our sincerest apologies to all who have been looking forward to this release of the game."

The company didn't address claims that the demo keys actually unlocked the full game and all DLC, but said that once the game is fixed and a new launch date is set, an updated demo, requiring a new key, will be released. Anyone who pre-purchased the game will be able to reinstall it as soon as the issue is fixed, and NIS is also offering refunds if that's the way you want to go.

Update: NIS America has acknowledged on Twitter that there is an issue with "the status" of the demo. There's still no word on the removal of the release date or the pre-purchase option, however.

We are aware of the status with Disgaea 5 Complete's demo on PC, and will have additional information shortly. Thank you for your understanding and patience!May 2, 2018

Original story:

It appears that the release of Disgaea 5 Complete on Steam, which had been scheduled for May 7, has hit a snag. Just yesterday, publisher NIS America and Alienware got together to give away demo keys, but access to the demo has now been revoked, and the release date is no longer visible on the Steam page.

In fact, there is currently no release date at all listed on the store page, and the option to pre-purchase has been disabled. The Steam wishlist slates it for "summer 2018," however—a worryingly unspecific rescheduling that suggests something, somewhere, has gone very wrong.

That concern is obviously heightened by the Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana experience, an unbridled gong show of postponements that stretched out for half a year before finally landing with a wet splat in April. (Tellingly, the reviews linked on the Ys 8 Steam page are for the PS4 version, which came to North America in 2017.)

NIS America hasn't publicly commented on the reason for the revoked Disgaea 5 Complete demo, or the apparent change in release date. I've emailed the company for more information and will update when I receive a reply.