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It takes a long time to make a video game - even longer, it seems, when you do it under public pressure and an announced release window.

Capcom's Pragmata is the storied game publisher's first new major franchise in 13 years, fighting a crowded field of sequels to Street Fighter, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, and Devil May Cry. Announced in 2020 as part of the launch of Sony's PlayStation 5, Pragmata was slated for a 2022 release. That slid a year very quickly, and by 2023, Capcom gave up on a revised release date. Earlier this year, though, Capcom felt confident enough to say it'd now be coming in 2026 - four years after it was originally intended.

Why do fans still care? The trailers so far promise a gripping story of an astronaut and a young girl android, fighting an evil AI while onboard a space station on the moon. While you play in a strict third-person perspective, the system has you controlling both characters simultaneously - mixing up walking, running, shooting, flying, hacking, and a bit of puzzlework you must accomplish in real-time.

Also, a full-scale rendition of New York City's Times Square... but how it would look in the near future.

But four years is a long time to wait.

"First, I'd like to thank everyone for waiting so long," says Pragmata director Yonghee Cho in a video recorded for the Capcom panel at PAX West 2025. "The central concept of the game - Diana and Hugh cooperating, hacking, and shooting to progress - was always there from the early stages and hasn't changed. But translating that concept into fun, interesting gameplay took time."

Cho admits that he and the development team found themselves repeatedly questioning each other about if the game they were building was one people would actually enjoy, and was the original concepts they were creating were good or just being original for original's sake. 

"As the development team, we repeatedly asked ourselves these types of questions as we went through trial and error," says Cho.

Cho says that the delays "resulted in some difficult times," but points to fans' continued interest in the title as what kept them from quitting.

"... a huge part of what kept us going was the voices of fans who, every time there was a digital showcase, never gave up, never forgot about Pragmata," says Cho. "Thanks for supporting us!"

Pragmata is scheduled to debut in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S and X, and Windows platforms. 

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer:

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