Dark Souls 2 on PC gets a one-week delay in the UK, but will it affect the Steam release?

The disc-based PC version of Dark Souls II, which was due to launch in the UK on April 25 alongside the rest of the world, has slipped a week to May 2, Bandai Namco/Namco Bandai has confirmed.

The delay will only apply to the physical release of the game in the UK, the publisher has said. The publisher has said that other territories, and the UK digital release, will still be released on April 25. More on that in a bit, though.

It's all down to a manufacturing issue with the packaging, apparently. A manufacturing issue that, presumably, has not affected the rest of the world. Perhaps they ran out of teabags at the factory where they print the cases in the UK and everyone there went on strike, which would be understandable.

"This is only affecting the UK on the boxed release of the game," confirmed a Bandai Namco representative to trade site MCV. "It will be delayed unfortunately and we apologise to UK customers. This is due to a manufacturing issue with packaging."

"To confirm this will only affect the UK boxed launch," adds Bandai Namco. But has Bandai Namco/Namco Bandai got it wrong? Chris Cook from retailer GameKeysNow Tweeted that "we've just had it confirmed from source it will affect Steam release too."

Bandai Namco is yet to respond to GameSpot, but we'll update this story when we hear more.

The frustration here is that, as a Steamworks title, many PC gamers will just input the game's serial key into Steam and just download the game anyway. Only now they'll be doing it (or not doing it, perhaps) a week later than those who purchase digitally. But, hey, at least they can get the Black Armour edition and its fancy steelbook case.

Dark Souls II launched on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in March, but the PC version looks like it'll be the best version of the game. Check it out in GameSpot's video preview of the PC version, which I have handily embedded: