Although "Sniper Elite 4" was not officially announced to be released this year, many gaming fans hope that it will be the case. However, with the confirmation that the upcoming game will be released on Valentine's Day next year, those anticipating it are only left with one question: Why?

Apparently, there is no clear reason why "Sniper 4" is being delayed. For some people, even there was no specific date announced, it is still considered as delay as it was originally planned to come out this year.

Nonetheless, when asked why the game is coming out in early 2017 instead of the earlier assumed 2016, siblings Jason and Chris Kingsley, co-founder of Rebellion Developments, the developer of "Sniper Elite" games, revealed that they have the privilege to delay the release of the "Sniper Elite" sequel as they are an independent developer and not tied with any publisher that can mandate them a deadline.

"When we sat down recently to decide a launch date, we had a decision to make. Do we stick to 2016 as planned many moons ago, or do we give the team just a little more time to help them deliver beyond the promise that the game has already shown?" the Kingsleys said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, in "Sniper Elite 4's" official website, it is revealed that the upcoming game will not only have a beautiful Italian peninsula as its backdrop but will also feature the captivating Mediterranean coastal towns, Nazi megastructures, Monte Cassino-inspired mountain monasteries, and fear-generating forests as the game's setting.

The game will also feature the game's main protagonist, Karl Fairburne, fighting side by side with Italians to free themselves from the bondage of Fascism and avert a potential danger to the Allied fightback in Europe.

"Sniper Elite 4" aims at delivering a World War II simulated experience via the game's sniping freedom in its maps, which are way bigger than those featured in its predecessor, "Sniper Elite 3."