Gothic 4 expansion delayed indefinitely 'due to legal uncertainty'

The standalone ArcaniA: Gothic 4 expansion Fall of Setarrif will not launch this week, as was planned, having been delayed indefinitely due to unusual reason of "legal uncertainty" at publisher JoWooD.

These lands and more, you might never explore

The company said in a press release that the expansion's "legal background" is "unclear" and that "diverse legal positions with the BVT fund that financed the main game are present." As such, Fall of Setarrif has been placed on hold and delayed indefinitely.

"It's uncertain whether the game can be released onto the market in its current form," said JoWooD business development manager Stefan Berger. "Of course this must be investigated and settled before the release - unfortunately."

JoWooD has been plagued with financial trouble as of late, and filed for bankruptcy in January. The publisher has still soldiered on, though, launching standalone shooter expansion Painkiller - Redemption and a revamped Steam release of Gothic 3 through its subsidiary DreamCatcher Games since then.

Gothic 4 and its expansion were developed by Spellbound Entertainment, after series creator Piranha Bytes moved on to make Risen. A sequel, Risen 2: Dark Waters, was unveiled in February.