Codemasters’ Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising has been pushed back from a summer release to an autumn launch.

“Right now we're working through a phase of balancing the player experience throughout the game,” Dragon Rising's executive producer, Sion Lenton, told IGN. “As you can appreciate, with Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising's immense battlefield and its unscripted AI, this is no trivial matter and so, to get this absolutely right, we're now investing additional development time on the project.

“We'll be working right through the summer to deliver all formats this autumn and create the best possible experience that people will want to enjoy again and again,” he added.

The PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 sequel to 2001's PC release Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis was originally scheduled to launch in spring 2009, before being moved back to a summer release. Gamers will now have to wait a little longer to get their hands on the battlefield simulator, but Lenton says that he is happy with how development is progressing.

“Progress is great – we're really proud of the build to date and, in content terms, it's exactly where we want it to be. The latest in-game visual pass has added another layer of ambient detail that takes us to the level of our original target visuals.”
 
You can check out an interview with the game’s lead AI designer Clive Lindop here.