A crowded holiday season just got slightly less so. Take-Two Interactive announced today that BioShock 2's release date is being pushed back.

The game was originally scheduled to hit North America on November 3rd and elsewhere on October 30th. It's now expected to be released in Take-Two's 2010 fiscal year. Their fiscal year starts on November 1st so it's possible this isn't a big delay at all. Still, kinda doubt they'd make such a big announcement if the game were just being bumped a week or two.

Here's Take-Two CEO Ben Federer's explanation of the delay:

"The decision to shift a release date is never an easy one, especially with a product as highly anticipated as BioShock 2. We felt that it was essential to invest the additional time to ensure that this title will deliver what its fans expect and deserve. As a result, we will now be launching sequels to several of our strongest franchises - including BioShock 2, Mafia II, Max Payne 3 and Red Dead Redemption - during the next fiscal year. These titles will anchor our lineup for fiscal 2010, and along with other products planned for next year, provide a platform for enhanced financial performance in what we hope will be an improved retail environment."

BioShock 2 is a simultaneous release for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 and has a new multiplayer offering and both of those features are possible culprits for the delay. Anyway, this delay is good news for any company who was also looking to release a game in late October or early November. Sucks for everyone else, though.