History Main / DelayedReleaseTieIn

* Merchandise for ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'' was released on the date the show was originally supposed to premiere. However, because the penultimate episode of ''Series/ResshaSentaiToQGer'' was pushed back [[BreakingNewsInterruption due to breaking news]], the show's premiere was pushed back.

** Due to a hack at Creator/ToeiAnimation, episodes of ''Anime/DeliciousPartyPrettyCure'' were delayed for at least a month. However, the toys meant to tie in with the debut of Cure Yum Yum, as well as the Heart Juicy Mixer, were still released on schedule. This trope was averted for the Cure Finale merchandise, which was released the same week her debut episode aired.

** Due to a hack at Creator/ToeiAnimation, episodes of ''Anime/DeliciousPartyPrettyCure'' were delayed for at least a month. However, the toys meant to tie in with the debut of Cure Yum Yum, as well as the Heart Juicy Mixer, were still released on schedule.

* ''[[VideoGame/EuroTruckSimulator Euro Truck Simulator 2]]'' had to [[ShelfOfMovieLanguishment indefinitely delay]] the almost ready ''Heart of Russia'' ExpansionPack out of [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents sensitivity after the Russian Invasion of Ukraine]]. The 1.44 Update, released a few weeks later, still featured many obvious signs that it was supposed to prepare the game for ''Heart of Russia'', remodelling many of the Russian border checkpoints, adding in new AI traffic, and allowing players with the developer camera enabled to explore small areas of the DLC as is tradition.

* ''VideoGame/SonicBoom: Fire & Ice'', the third and final ''Sonic Boom'' video game was originally planned to be released in Fall of 2015, but Creator/{{Sega}} delayed the game to a 2016 release to allow more development time and coincide with the ''[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]]'' series' [[MilestoneCelebration 25th anniversary]]. This didn't stop Carl's Jr. and Hardee's from having a kids' meal promotion for ''Fire & Ice'' around the time of the game's originally-planned release date.

* ''Spy Hunter: Nowhere To Run'' is a 2006 reboot of the classic ''VideoGame/SpyHunter'' arcade game that was supposed to be a tie-in with the ''Spy Hunter'' movie... except the film has been in DevelopmentHell for nearly a decade. People unaware of the ill-fated film will no doubt be baffled at why this game has a far greater focus on on-foot shooting missions than the traditional driving sequences, as well as why the main character has the voice and likeness of Creator/DwayneJohnson.

* A significant amount of merchandise for ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'' features the infamous [[UncannyValley original design]] for Sonic, though packaging and the like was changed to feature the redesign.

** Due to a hack at Creator/ToeiAnimation, episodes of ''Anime/DeliciousPartyPrettyCure'' were delayed for at least a month. However, the toys meant to tie in with the debut of Cure Yum Yum were still released on schedule.

* An exhibit in partnership with the Natural History Museum in London for the upcoming third ''Film/FantasticBeasts'' opened in November 2020 for the movie’s original release date even though it was pushed back twice and[[note]] Once due to the creative team taking a step back after the second underperformed and got mixed to negative reviews and a cast member being pregnant. The second due to COVID-19 delaying the production for six months[[/note]] and up once before settling on a April 2022 release.

** Due to a hack at Creator/ToeiAnimation, episodes of ''Anime/DeliciousPartyPrettyCure'' were delayed for at least a month. This resulted in the toys meant to tie in with the debut of Cure Yum Yum still being released on schedule.

* When the ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'' episodes introducing the Miracle and Fantastic Belltiers got delayed due to the Tohoku earthquake, the releases of their toys became this.

* ''Spy Hunter: Nowhere To Run'' is a 2012 reboot of the classic ''VideoGame/SpyHunter'' arcade game that was supposed to be a tie-in with the ''Spy Hunter'' movie... except the film has been in DevelopmentHell for nearly a decade. People unaware of the ill-fated film will no doubt be baffled at why this game has a far greater focus on on-foot shooting missions than the traditional driving sequences, as well as why the main character has the voice and likeness of Creator/DwayneJohnson.

* Multiple merchandise for ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'' feature versions of Gamora and Tony Stark that came from an episode of the show that was postponed to Season 2 (but were still featured in the Season 1 finale).

* An exhibit in partnership with the Natural History Museum in London for the upcoming third ''Film/FantasticBeasts'' opened in November 2020 for the movie’s original release date even though it was pushed back twice [[note]] Once due to the creative team taking a step back after the second underperformed and got mixed to negative reviews and a cast member being pregnant. The second due to COVID-19 delaying the production for six months[[/note]] before settling on a July 2022 release.

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

* Several ''VideoGame/LegoStarWars'' sets contains codes to unlock certain characters and vehicles in ''The Skywalker Saga'' came out in late 2020, around the game’s original release window. But while the game was delayed into 2021, the sets came out on time, with the instruction booklets still advertising the original 2020 release.

* Merchandise for ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger'' was released on the date the show was originally supposed to premiere. However, because the penultimate episode of ''Series/ResshaSentaiToQGer'' was pushed back [[WeInterruptThisProgram due to breaking news]], the show's premiere was pushed back.

* Downplayed with ''WesternAnimation/RayaAndTheLastDragon''. The film's Novemeber 2020 theatrical release was downgraded to a March 2021 release on Creator/DisneyPlus; as a result, the toys were briefly shelved before they started showing up in stores at the end of ''January'' 2021, around the time the final trailer was released.

[[folder:COVID-19 Pandemic Related Examples]]
In 2020, the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic destabilized marketing schedules in the entire entertainment industry as productions were halted and release dates pushed back due to the outbreak threatening large gatherings - especially theaters - and work environments in both factories and offices, so it has its own folder.

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]
* Due to production delays on the show itself from the pandemic, ''Anime/HealinGoodPrettyCure'' suffered from this, mostly as far as merchandising goes:
** The Element Bottle for ''[[Anime/PrettyCureAllStars Pretty Cure Miracle Leap]]'' was released on the original date the movie was slated to be released, just days after its release was changed.
** Merchandising depicting [[SixthRanger Cure Earth]] was released the week the episode that introduced her was supposed to air.
** Episode 16 has a brief shot with a poster for ''Majo Minarai wo Sagashite'', the 20th anniversary movie for ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi''. Had the hiatus not occurred, the episode would have aired a few days after the intended release date of said film, but both the episode and the movie were postponed to later dates that put them out of sync with each other, inadvertently changing the poster shot from a plug to a ProductionForeshadowing.
* The fourth and final ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' film, ''Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time'', was postponed from a planned release date of June 27, 2020. Despite this, the film's tie-in ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'' toy, the Evatchi, managed to hit stores on its intended release date of June 13th, 2020.
* Toylines and tie-in promotions for ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}: Nobita's New Dinosaur'' and ''Film/{{Pokemon}}: Coco'' were released around the time the films were slated to originally premiere in Japan in 2020 (March for the former and July for the latter).
* The Sanrio CrossOver merchandise line with ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' came out in May 2020, which was supposed to be the release date for the theatrical film ''Majo Minarai wo Sagashite''.

[[AC:Film - Animated]]
* The toyline for ''WesternAnimation/{{Minions}}: The Rise of Gru'' was released in the summer of 2020, around the time the original film was slated to premiere before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed it. There were also cereal boxes that offered free tickets to see the movie, as well as a UsefulNotes/McDonalds promotion.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Scoob}}'' also had a Carl's Jr/Hardee's tie-in meant to be released around the original premiere of the movie. However, the website was updated to specify that this was an on-demand release. A number of Blue Buffalo pet food products also provided a special movie ticket offer; redeeming the offer instead gave customers a $13 dollar credit to use on VOD releases (possibly due to technical limitations, it was not restricted to specifically ''SCOOB'').
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobMovieSpongeOnTheRun'':
** The film had a Wendy's promotion that was supposed to come out around the time of the original release date (May 2020), but got delayed itself until late June. The movie itself was delayed twice more, until finally settling on a [[DirectToVideo straight to streaming]] release in early 2021 like many other animated films during that period, so the promotion still wound up being this trope.
** Several tie-in books came out around the original May release date.
** Some 7-Eleven locations in the United States ran a promotion for the film in May.
** A Pop-Tarts tie-in was released for the spring of 2020, with specially-marked boxes offering discounted tickets for the movie if you bought a certain amount between March 16 and July 31. Not only did the movie get delayed past those dates, but it cancelled its theatrical release (except in Canada and South Korea) in favor of streaming, making any ticket discounts pointless.
** Aeropostale, Spencer's and Kohl's ran ''[=SpongeBob=]''-themed promotions ahead of the film's original May release.
** Cereal based on the movie (itself a remake of the [=SpongeBob=] cereal from the heyday of the franchise) appeared in stores in April 2020, one month before the original May release.
** Averted for the ''Kamp Korral'' mini-series that was supposed to release around July, which {{Channel Hop}}ped to CBS All-Access for a 2021 release.
** The toyline for the film showed up in some stores in August 2020, tying in with the second potential release date.
* A Creator/{{Pixar}}-themed [=McDonald's=] promotion in July 2020 offering keychains of various Pixar characters in every Happy Meal included a keychain of Joe from ''WesternAnimation/{{Soul}}'', which would have been on time with its original June 2020 release date, but the movie was delayed to November 2020 as a result of COVID-19 messing with movie production.

[[AC: Film - Live Action]]
* ''Film/AQuietPlacePartII'' had a Bugles promotion using the original March 20, 2020 release date.
* Some Marvel comic books advertised ''Film/{{Morbius|2021}}'' with its original July 31, 2020 release date.
* Some merchandise made to promote ''Film/{{Mulan|2020}}'', including dolls and t-shirts, came out around the original March release date; the novelization arrived about a month ahead of the rescheduled September release.
* Some movie theaters sold popcorn bags advertising ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' with its original April 2020 release.
* In the UK, ''[[Film/PeterRabbit Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway]]''-themed Cadbury Easter eggs and chocolate bars, which had "Only at cinemas" printed on the packaging, were sold for the 2020 Easter season, despite the movie being postponed to 2021.
* Doritos did a promotion with ''Film/WonderWoman1984'' that used the film's original June 12th, 2020 release date. A limited-time tie-in Blizzard flavor also appeared at Dairy Queen in June as well. In Brazil, the Magnum ice cream received [[https://experimentaissohome.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/experimentaisso_117359327_909728612869096_1914322947598209970_n.jpg?w=1024 a Wonder Woman packaging that even featured the old release date!]] All the Funko Pop! figures related to the film arrived in stores that summer as well.
* Creator/TheCriterionCollection's standalone Blu-ray release of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics documentary ''Film/TokyoOlympiad'' was meant to tie in with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed until 2021.
* ''Film/EurovisionSongContestTheStoryOfFireSaga'' was originally planned for a May 2020 release to coincide with [[Series/EurovisionSongContest the actual event]]'s 2020 edition in Rotterdam, but its cancelation bumped the film to premiere a month later in June 2020.
* A promo for ''Film/FreeGuy '' that had some of the cast being interviewed in a serious matter as if it was an independent film and not the comedy it truly is aired in Screenvision theaters even after the release got pulled off the schedule. This was justified because this promo did not show the release date of the film.
* This was how the design for the live-action ''Literature/CliffordTheBigRedDog'' was leaked: an online image of a Carl's Jr. promotion surfaced on the Internet, tying in to the original December release.
* Lots of tie-in merchandise ''Film/{{Black Widow|2021}}'', most notably clothes, action figures and the Funko Pop! figurines, were released in time for its first rescheduled date in November 2020... but very early given it wound up delayed again to 2021. French supermarket chain Leclerc launched a Creator/MarvelComics promotional event in November and December 2020 with collectible stickers. They were accompanied by advertising of ''Black Widow'' that said "currently in theaters".

[[AC: Live-Action TV]]
* Both ''Series/MashinSentaiKiramager'' and ''Series/KamenRiderZeroOne'' had to take a six-week hiatus. In that time, the former's SixthRanger Kiramei Silver and the latter's final SuperMode Kamen Rider Zero-Two were revealed in {{toku}} magazines and merchandise started going out even though their debuts had been delayed at least a month.

[[AC: Tabletop Games]]
* Creator/GamesWorkshop closed their factories in late March 2020, halting all the releases until the middle of May. The ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'' issues for those months came out slightly later than it was originally planned and often ended up featuring promotion for models that were supposed to come out a little before the issues, but weren't actually out. In the detail:
** The March issue (the last product released before the lockdown) features promotion of the new model of Ragnar Blackmane (which was supposed to come out on March 28th as part of the ''Prophecy of the Wolf'' boxset alongside the new Ghazghkull Thraka model, but ultimately came out in the middle of May) and the new Zoat model included in a ''Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress'' expansion that was supposed to be released on April 4th, but was ultimately pushed to June 20th.
** The April issue (that was released in time in digital format and to a few independent retailers, but was released publicly in the middle of May) mentions towards the end of the magazine ''Skies of Fire'' (an expansion for ''Aeronautica Imperialis'' featuring Tau and Astra Militarum units) as a "recent release". The actual expansion and models were released only on June 13th.
** The May issue (that was released in late June) features a full coverage on the newest army for ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'', the Lumineth Realmlords, featuring also rules to field them in ''Warcry'' which suggest the reader to go and buy a box of the army's basic troop to start their warband. The issue came out the same day as the limited edition boxset for the army, and the single units were released only starting from September 12th.
** Defied with the June issue (that came in the second half of August). The initial preorder listing featured a new quest for ''Blackstone Fortress'' that requires the Large Spindle Drones from the ''Ascension'' expansion. As the expansion wasn't out yet (it came out on September 5th), the article was pulled out from the final issue and moved on the October issue.
** The September issue, which is mostly dedicated to the 9th edition of ''Warhammer 40,000'', was blatantly written as if the 9th edition Codexes for Space Marines and Necrons were already out, with multiple sidenotes that invite the reader to check them for more detail and the Index Imperialis supplement about Silver Templars being explicitly written as an expansion of the new Space Marines Codex, as it features new rules involving Core units, a new keyword that was introduced only a few days before the issue's release on a Warhammer Community article. The actual Codexes came out ony three weeks later. The issue was also planned to feature a ''Necromunda'' article with rules for Outlaw Brutes that was moved to the November issue for the same reason as the ''Blackstone Fortress'' one above, but the "Inside the Studio" section at the end of the magazine still features a box with an Ambot conversion that is referred to as being "Inspired by the contents of this month's article"... which doesn't exist.
** The November issue features a ''Warcry'' mission that involves an artifact whose rules are found in the 2020 edition of the Tome of Champions, a book whose existence ''wasn't even revealed'' until 9 days after the issue's release.
** Outside of ''White Dwarf'', the promotional booklet released in stores for the launch of the 9th edition of ''Warhammer 40.000'' still states that the Indomitus boxset preorders start on June 6th (with probably a release on June 20th). The preorder was actually pushed to July 11th, with the actual release on July 25th.

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020]]'' was meant to tie in with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed until 2021.
* ''VideoGame/MarvelPuzzleQuest'''s planned tie-in characters for ''Film/{{Black Widow|2021}}'', Yelena Belova and Red Guardian, were released in April and November of 2020, one for each of the film's planned release dates.

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* The ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' episode "Double-O-Duck in You Only Crash Twice!", an episode which parodies the ''Franchise/JamesBond'' franchise, was [[MeaningfulReleaseDate aired on the same exact day]] that ''Film/NoTimeToDie'' was supposed to be in theaters before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed it.
* The 2020 revival of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' includes an Olympics-themed episode, which would have come out after the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
[[/folder]]