Earlier this year, Two Point Studios confirmed that it would be bringing its Theme Hospital spiritual successor Two Point Hospital to Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One with the help of Red Kite Games. While the release of this console port was initially slated for "late 2019," Two Point Studios and SEGA revealed today that its launch has slipped back into the "first half of 2020."

The developers are pretty blunt about why Two Point Hospital is being delayed: it needs to be optimized better for consoles. The management simulation genre is one that has always had difficulty in the transition, and Two Point Hospital's developers want to get the port right. A blog post on the game's website explains that "making a management simulation game on three consoles (and making it the best it possibly can be on all three), is a tricky programming puzzle. We have to take the game apart and figure out how to fit it into what is essentially a smaller box. That takes a fair amount of time and engineering work, and it turns out we need to take a little more to iron out the remaining creases."

Game Director and Two Point Studios Co-Founder Mark Webley also commented on the matter, adding to what was said in the aforementioned blog. "Our community have asked for Two Point Hospital on consoles for a while now and we want to make sure we deliver a game that can be enjoyed to the fullest on all platforms. This means we will need a little bit more time to optimize the game to ensure the best possible experience across all platforms." As Two Point Studios was recently acquired by SEGA and they plan on continuing the "Two Point" series brand, it's a good move for everyone involved to make as good of a first impression to console players as possible.

DualShockers will let you know once Red Kite Games, Two Point Studios, and SEGA hone in on a release date for the console versions. You can check out the previously released trailer for the console ports below. We can now expect Two Point Hospital to come to Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One in 2020, though the full game and DLC like Close Encounters are already available for PC.