Pragmata: Capcom's Never-ending Story
, by Quentin
It seems to be becoming increasingly common for a large company to have their own never-ending story. Where Ubisoft excels in this respect with Beyond Good & Evil, Capcom is beginning to take the same path with Pragmata, announced many years ago and repeatedly delayed.
2020: the year of the first debut
During Sony's PlayStation 5 conference, Capcom took the opportunity to unveil a brand-new, highly enigmatic IP called Pragmata. It features a mysterious character in an astronaut-like outfit, in the middle of New York.
He's not alone: a young blonde child by the name of Diana is also on the scene. They seem to form a pair, and something quickly tells us that she will occupy a central place in the game's story. A still unclear event seems to throw the two protagonists into space, more precisely on the Moon.
At this point, we know no more. Capcom soberly declares “2022” as an exit window, before remaining silent.
An absence of more than a year precedes the release of a second video, announcing the first piece of bad news: the game's been delayed.
2022: A new date is set
Capcom is pretty secretive: the publisher gives no further details about this first delay and simply explains that the devs want to create an unforgettable adventure, and that to do so, they still need to work hard.
So far, the project seems as mysterious as it is ambitious. Even so, after the many disastrous launches, gamers would much prefer to be patient and see their purchase viable from the moment of release, without having to wait for patches galore to make the experience enjoyable.
In this new video, young Diana takes the opportunity to reveal a piece of paper with the date 2022 crossed out, making way for 2023, with a little “sorry” written underneath. A gesture that will unfortunately become a running gag over the years.
2023: yet another increasingly worrying postponement
Fate is relentless, and the production of this new Capcom license is taking on the appearance of a cursed work. Just when we thought it was the end of complications for the developers, alas, it is not.
During the Capcom Showcase in June 2023, we finally get to see more footage on Pragmata, with a trailer once again showing the mysterious astronaut battling numerous enemies, while Diana is once again busy writing on paper.
There's no new date this time, but we check out the years 2022 and 2023 totally crossed out, giving way to a question mark by way of a release window... This time, it's no longer simply written “sorry” but "really sorry".
Still, the devs took the chance to address the following to fans around the world:
"To all our waiting fans,"
"It is with a heavy heart that we must once again postpone the release of Pragmata. Our team is working hard to create the best game possible, but we need more time."
"We will continue to do our best to ensure that the final product is worthy of your patience."
"Thank you for your continued support."
What's more, we still know very little about the title and exactly what it's all about. Despite the constant postponements, both the developers and Capcom remain silent, preferring not to say too much... or anything at all.
2025: Pragmata appears again and gets a new release window (third time's the charm?)
T'is June 2025, and Capcom shows Pragmata to the public, who were beginning to lose faith in it. This new trailer, called First Contact, features a mix of gameplay footage and in-game cinematics, all running on PlayStation 5 Pro.
This time, we learn that it will be a sci-fi adventure with a unique blend of action and strategy, according to Capcom. A few phases of gameplay help us to understand a little more about where they intend to go.
The developers take the paper joke to its logical conclusion, this time with the annotation: “2026, it's real XD”.
Capcom describes the synopsis this way via its official site:
"Pragmata goes off the beaten track to offer a rather unique adventure in our catalog. We'll be following the adventures of Diana, a little girl like no other, accompanied by an astronaut in a space universe that seems particularly hostile. What's the secret behind the Earth-like scenery, but in distorted versions? We may have to go all the way to the Moon to find out..."
The mystery remains, but one thing is certain: this new single-player experience is now eagerly awaited after so many postponements. You'll be able to discover Pragmata from 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Are you anticipating Pragmata? What has catched your interest from the new IP by Capcom? Let us know in the comments.