Due to the increased scope, which Smith estimated was three times larger than "Blind Forest", the game's development took longer than planned, resulting in a few delays. Smith said part of this is functionally tied to the nature of Metroidvanias: "Everything is so interconnected that if you change one aspect of the game, it's just inevitable that it's going to influence the rest. It just takes time to make an experience where we feel it's reached that polish that people want to enjoy." The sequel was first announced at E3 2017 with no set release date. A second trailer was revealed a year later at E3 2018 with a planned 2019 release date. By E3 2019, a new trailer affirmed that the game had been delayed but with a planned February 11, 2020 release date. A final delay of one month was announced with the game's final release trailer at The Game Awards 2019, setting the release date of March 11, 2020. Xbox Game Studios announced a Collector's Edition on the same day which includes a piano collections music CD, a steelbook, premium packaging, an art book and an original soundtrack music MP3 download alongside the game disc. "Ori and the Will of the Wisps" was confirmed to be released on the same day on Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass program for both Xbox One and Windows. Smith said that being included on Game Pass was a net benefit for them: "I think Game Pass is a great vehicle to get what we've created into more gamers' hands and, ultimately, I think it's really healthy for the "Ori" IP, it's really healthy for Moon, it's really healthy for Xbox, for more people to play "Ori"."