Ubisoft has revealed that upcoming RPG South Park: The Fractured But Whole will be delayed until sometime early next year. The delay is similar to one that struck predecessor The Stick of Truth, which had been slated for a late 2013 release but was pushed back to March 2014.

A short post on Ubisoft's blog said: "South Park: The Fractured But Whole will now launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, calendar Q1 2017.

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"The development team wants to make sure the game experience meets the high expectations of fans and the additional time will help them achieve this goal," it read.

Announced in June 2015 at E3, the sequel is superhero-based rather than fantasy-themed, taking inspiration from the beloved TV show's superhero arc from season 13. The story sees the show's kids – as their alter-egos – divided Civil-War style over Cartman's plans for a cinematic universe.

As in The Stick Of Truth, players will play as a new kid with superhero persona created from twelve classes: the Brutalist, the Blaster, the Speedster, Elementalist, Gadgeteer, Mystic, Cyborg, Psychic, Assassin, Commander, Netherborn, and Karate Kid.

Fractured But Whole also builds on the RPG mechanics of Obsidian's original game, with more active, tactical combat, environmental damage during combat and a time-manipulation mechanic (built on farts of course).

South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are once again heavily involved in the story side of the game, and will supply their voices to the game's huge cast.

At E3 2016 a new trailer was released, embedded above.

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