Escape From Monday is sticking by its September release date

In an attempt to steer clear of Grand Theft Auto 6’s November release date, many publishers are planning to launch their big fall games in September. That’s created a 50-car pile-up that only gets worse the deeper you get into the month. On Sept. 24, for instance, we’ll get both Control: Resonant and Silent Hill: Downfall, followed by Onimusha: Way of the Sword the next day. Some games, like Valor Mortis, are already bowing out of that fight by retreating to October, but the brave team behind one game is refusing to quit: Garfield – Escape From Monday.

To celebrate Garfield’s birthday today, Microids dropped the first trailer for the big boy’s latest game for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. It gives us a glimpse at some good old-fashioned 3D platforming, but more eye-catching is that it reaffirms its previously announced Sept. 24 release date.

Is that the wisest move for the old cat? Maybe not, but I respect the proud hubris here. Microids had the release date booked well before Summer Game Fest rolled around and turned the day into a battle royale, after all. (And it’s not like you can’t ask the publisher to push it to a Monday; the game would just refuse to work that day.) So, why should it be the one to move? That’s pure Garfield thinking right there.

Aside from that, the newly released trailer is a reminder that a crowded release date isn’t a problem so long as all those games are filling different niches. Sure, Sept. 24 is crowded, but I don’t think that there’s much crossover between the audience for a 3D Garfield platformer and a Silent Hill game — I’d wager I’m one of the only people in the center of that Venn diagram.

Also, crucially, no game coming out on that day is about Garfield getting trapped in a nightmare after eating a plate of spinach lasagna, and being forced to reactivate his taste buds. (Control: Resonant isn’t totally far off from that, though.) The trailer shows Garfield platforming around food-themed levels, fighting evil tomatoes and riding eggplants. A press release threatens that you will also get to “embody Garfield in every form,” turning him into a turkey, a cowboy, and more. Basically, it’s the 3D Mario game you craved this year. Same exact thing, right?

I, for one, salute Microids for its decision to stick to its guns here, because it’s true to the spirit of the character. Garfield can not be intimidated. He is an immovable object and an unstoppable force in one. Sept. 24 belongs to him, and him only. Try to steal his spotlight and be prepared to lose one Nermillion dollars.