Kena: Scars of Kosmora Delayed as Ember Lab Targets 2027

Kena: Scars of Kosmora will no longer arrive during its previously announced 2026 launch window. Developer Ember Lab has confirmed that the sequel to Kena: Bridge of Spirits is now planned for release sometime in 2027 on PlayStation 5 and PC.

The studio revealed Scars of Kosmora in February as a direct continuation of the 2021 action-adventure game. While the project was initially targeting 2026, the lack of a confirmed launch date as the year moved into its crowded autumn release period had raised questions about whether that target would hold. Ember Lab has now made the delay official, explaining that it wants more time to complete and refine a game designed to be considerably larger than Kena's first outing.

In its announcement, Ember Lab said the team has been focused on bringing the game to completion since its debut trailer. The developer also acknowledged the enthusiasm surrounding Kena's return, but said an extra stretch of development is needed to reach the quality bar it has set for the new installment.

"Pushing our release into 2027 gives us the ability to really polish the expanded game experience we want to deliver," Ember Lab said.

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That wording is significant because Kena: Scars of Kosmora is not being framed simply as another journey built to the scale of Bridge of Spirits. Ember Lab is aiming to surpass the scope and production quality of its 2021 debut, expanding the world, traversal options, combat systems, and the mythology surrounding the Spirit Guides. The result is a delay, but also a clearer statement of the ambition behind the sequel.

A new chapter set after Bridge of Spirits

Kena: Scars of Kosmora takes place some time after the events of Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Players will once again follow Kena, now older and facing a deeply personal crisis as she travels to the island of Kosmora. She is searching for a cure for an unexplained affliction that threatens her own life, giving the sequel a more urgent starting point than the first game's journey into a village consumed by spiritual corruption.

Her mission quickly becomes more complicated when her spirit guide staff is shattered. Without that familiar tool, Kena must learn a forgotten discipline of spirit guiding rooted in Kosmora's ancient traditions. This new approach centers on alchemy and elemental powers, creating a fresh foundation for the sequel's combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving.

The island itself is also suffering. A corruption is spreading across Kosmora, and Kena's objective extends beyond healing herself. She must uncover the island's past, cleanse its growing blight, and rescue its people and spirit world from the forces overtaking the land.

That setup preserves the emotional and supernatural themes associated with Bridge of Spirits, while moving Kena into unfamiliar territory. The first game positioned her as a young Spirit Guide learning to navigate a painful legacy. The sequel's older version of Kena appears to be confronting both a physical threat and the limitations of the techniques she previously relied upon.

Kosmora's elemental cultures and Alchemystic Temples

Ember Lab has shared several details about the island's history. Kosmora was once home to four interconnected cultures, each shaped by a guiding element that powered and influenced its society. Those civilizations were connected to a distinct form of spiritual practice developed by the island's ancient Spirit Guides.

At the center of that history are the Alchemystic Temples. These sites are tied to the four elements and to the forgotten practices Kena must master after losing her staff. Exactly how each elemental ability will function has not yet been fully outlined, but Ember Lab has confirmed that the powers will be important across the adventure rather than existing only as background lore.

The elemental framework suggests a more systemic approach to progression than the one seen in Bridge of Spirits. Kena's earlier abilities evolved through tools, combat upgrades, spirit actions, and her bond with the Rot. In Scars of Kosmora, her new alchemy-based techniques are expected to influence encounters, environmental challenges, and temple puzzles across the island.

One of Kosmora's four cultures was destroyed in a mysterious cataclysm, leaving a major unanswered question at the heart of the game's setting. The loss of that civilization appears to be closely tied to the island's fractured state, and likely to the corruption Kena is trying to stop. Ember Lab has not detailed the nature of the cataclysm or identified its cause, leaving plenty of room for the sequel to gradually uncover its central mystery.

A broader world built for exploration

Ember Lab describes Kosmora as a large, multi-region map that would take substantial time to cross on foot. That scale marks a notable evolution from the more compact, hub-connected areas of Kena: Bridge of Spirits. The original game offered explorable spaces with secrets, side activities, collectibles, and combat arenas, but it was not structured around a huge landmass requiring dedicated long-distance travel.

To support the expanded setting, Kena will have a giant wolf companion that can be ridden across the island. The companion is more than a mount: Ember Lab says it will assist Kena both while she is riding it and when fighting on foot. It will also help with Alchemystic puzzles, making it an active part of the adventure instead of a purely convenient traversal feature.

The wolf could significantly change the pace of the series. Mounted travel should make Kosmora's regions feel connected at a larger scale, while its combat support opens the door to encounters built around mobility, positioning, and coordinated attacks. Its role in puzzles also indicates that players may need to consider the companion's abilities when navigating temples and other elemental spaces.

Ember Lab has yet to provide a detailed breakdown of the world's individual regions, enemy types, boss battles, upgrade systems, or the extent of any side content. Still, the information shared so far points toward an adventure that retains the series' third-person action roots while broadening nearly every part of its structure.

Why the delay may matter for the sequel

Delays are disappointing, particularly for players who were hoping to see Kena return before the end of 2026. However, Ember Lab's reasoning directly addresses the challenge it has taken on. Bridge of Spirits was the studio's debut game, and it earned attention for its animated-film-like presentation, expressive characters, dramatic environments, demanding combat, and melancholy story. Creating a follow-up that is both more expansive and more polished is a substantial undertaking.

The studio is specifically positioning Scars of Kosmora as an experience that should exceed what it achieved with that debut. Additional development time may be especially important for balancing new elemental mechanics, tuning mounted and companion combat, ensuring the multi-region world feels cohesive, and polishing a story that must carry forward Kena's established character arc.

There is also a practical side to the decision. A broad 2026 target left increasingly little room for a full launch campaign, and Ember Lab has not announced a precise release date. Rather than commit to a narrow window it may not be able to meet, the team has shifted the game to 2027 and kept the date open. That gives the developer flexibility, but it means fans will need to wait for more concrete scheduling news.

What players can expect next

For now, Kena: Scars of Kosmora remains confirmed for PlayStation 5 and PC, with no additional platforms announced. Ember Lab has not provided a specific 2027 release date, nor has it shared pre-order information or details about different editions.

The delay does at least come with a stronger sense of what the sequel is trying to become. Kena will explore a much larger island, seek a cure for a life-threatening condition, learn an elemental form of spirit guiding, investigate civilizations shaped by the four elements, and travel with a giant wolf companion that contributes to movement, battle, and puzzles.

Those are substantial additions to the foundation established by Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Whether the longer wait translates into the larger and more polished adventure Ember Lab is promising will not be clear until the studio shares further gameplay and a firm launch plan. Until then, Kena's next journey is set for 2027.