No wonder Valve's Portal 2 event at next week's E3 was canceled. The developer/publisher announced today the sequel to its award-winning 2007 teleportation puzzler has been delayed from its original fall release to sometime in 2011.

Valve informed the world of its plans today in classic Valve style: via an email from Aperture Science, doing business as Aperture Laboratories LLC, in partnership with Valve.

"...Valve today announced the successful completion of an ethics-review-panel-supervised release date restructuring process. Portal 2, the sequel to the ground-breaking title that earned over 30 Game of the Year awards despite missing its original ship date, is now targeted for a 2011 release."


The Aperture Science/Valve statement:
Representatives from both companies acknowledged that public safety concerns factored into the decision. They went on to say that even though Portal 2 will arrive slightly later than planned, all life on earth won't instantaneously stop as every molecule in your body explodes at the speed of light, which is what would happen should a rip ever appear in the fabric of Valve Time.

"Also, the game will be even better," they added, missing an historic opportunity to create the first product delay press release to mention that a product is being delayed to make it worse.

To ask questions about how close we all came to dying, or to ask futile questions about the previously announced E3 ***PORTAL-2-THEMED-FOR-GOD'S SAKE*** surprise or, less futilely, to schedule an appointment to attend a Portal 2 screening at the Valve booth during E3, please contact Valve's delegate to the EU's Valve Time Studies Group, Doug Lombardi.
Portal 2 was originally slated to launch for PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and according to rumor reports, the PlayStation 3, on October 26.



Sharkey says: Valve has never been in a hurry to get its games out. Just ask Half-Life 2 fans waiting on Episode 3. The question now becomes, what will the developer have to share with us at E3? Perhaps the rumored to be revealed Source 2 engine will be demoed using Portal 2. We'll find out next week.