Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, the upcoming Nintendo 3DS game, has been delayed to 2016, Sega announced today. It was previously expected to launch later this year.

“Today we’ve got some news for you,” Sega said in a blog post. “Some of you might initially see it as a negative, but I’m here to tell you why it’s a good thing.”

Sega is pushing the game to 2016 in an effort to “make sure the game has the time and polish needed,” Sega explained.

“In the grand scheme of things, while the downside is that you won’t be playing the game this year, the upside is that what you’ll play next year, and what fans will continue to play for years after they pick up the game, will be a stronger, more enjoyable experience,” the developer said.

Sega added: “We think that’s important, not just for this one game, but for all future Sonic titles.”

A new release window in 2016 for Fire & Ice was not provided. Sega instead said, “It’ll be ready when it’s ready.”

Fire & Ice is a follow-up to 2014’s Sonic Boom: The Shattered Crystal. The game is development at Sanzaru Games, the studio behind Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. For more, check out GameSpot’s in-depth interview with the team at Sega about Fire & Ice and the Sonic brand overall.