It is looking increasingly uncertain whether Obsidian Entertainment's Alpha Protocol will be coming out in October. Sega has still not confirmed a launch date for the game, even though many expected to arrive in the first week of October. 

If you are not familiar with the game, Alpha Protocol is a spy-themed shooter-RPG. You play as a CIA spy named Michael Thorton -- a new recruit who is quickly thrust into a twisty conspiracy, led by rogue agents. Powered by the latest Unreal engine, the game seems to be about mostly third-person shooting action, but with a healthy dose of RPG, as you choose multiple paths throw the game, and customize your skills (such as stealth, gadgets, martial arts and more.)

While the game has been supposedly due in October, many retailers have had October 7 as the date pegged. But as we get into the late weeks of September, there still has not been an official announcement made. The October 7th date almost certainly can not be met at this point -- and a date in later October has still not been pegged down.

To make matters worse, Sega does not seem to have the game very high on their list of priorities. Sega's UK marketing folks held an event last week called "Fast Forward", where they drummed up press for what they referred to as their "best lineup ever." While Alpha Protocol was included amongst the long list of upcoming titles,  not much mention of it was given to it, judging by reports.  At the event they also bragged how marketing budgets have been increased, and that their current  titles received the "strongest marketing support ever" -- yet there hasn't been hardly any ads at all for the game.

While Alpha Protocol has been the subject of many hands-on previews, it is highly unusual for a game's release date not to be pinned down this late -- with us only being 2 weeks away from October. So if you were looking forward to this one, you might want to brace yourself for a delay.