The lengthy wait for South Park: The Stick Of Truth looks to be almost over at long last. Ubisoft announced today that South Park: The Stick Of Truth is finally finished and ready to be released. After several delays, the publisher declared that the game has “gone gold,” meaning it has been released to manufacturing for delivery into stores. Fans can breathe a sigh of relief as even the creators themselves joked in a recent episode about being skeptical to its March release date.

The Stick Of Truth was originally intended for release by publisher THQ, however when the company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in January of 2013, its future seemed uncertain. Ubisoft soon purchased the rights to the title with intent to release after further development. The title was removed from a release schedule and many were unsure about the status of the project. South Park: The Stick Of Truth was scheduled last summer to be on store shelves by Dec. 10, 2013. As the date grew closer, many speculated that Ubisoft would have to push back the title by several months in order for the title to be ready. On Oct. 31, Ubisoft announced that South Park: The Stick Of Truth would finally be finished and ready for play on March 4, 2014.

South Park: The Stick Of Truth has been in development since the tail end of 2011. South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, approached developer Obsidian Entertainment directly about creating a video game based around the popular animated series as opposed to waiting for a publisher to make the perfect offer. Obsidian Entertainment is known for its role-playing games (RPGs) and have experience in handling licensed properties. In 2004, Obsidian Entertainment’s first project was Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II – The Sith Lords. Since then, it has been at the helm for games like Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout: New Vegas and most recently, Dungeon Siege III.

The Stick Of Truth has been built from the ground up to be the best possible representation of South Park yet seen in a video game. With a script written by Parker and Stone, The Stick Of Truth promises to deliver the vulgar humor fans of the show have come to love and cherish. The throw-back turn-based RPG features many callbacks and nods that even the most diehard South Park fan may miss. In the game, players will design their own character and become a member of the gang while they immerse themselves in the town of South Park. The Stick Of Truth is heavily inspired by the series episode The Return Of The Fellowship Of The Ring To The Two Towers, as well as the three-part Black Friday story arc.

The game is eagerly anticipated by many fans of the series as it is the first to feature heavy involvement from the creators. During the show’s early years, many titles were released to try to capitalize on the sudden success of the animated series. The quick cash-in video games were criticized by many including the creators themselves. South Park: The Stick Of Truth is something the creators have been fully invested in since day one and have stated that it is a passion project of theirs harkening back to the video game titles they played growing up. Trey Parker and Matt Stone will look to give fans the game they have always wanted now that South Park: The Stick Of Truth is finally finished and ready for store shelves on March 4.

By Benjamin Murray

Sources:

IGN

Kotaku

Financial Post

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