'Attack on Titan' season 2 release date news: Tetsuro Araki's new project delays anime?

Fans have another year of waiting for "Attack on Titan" season 2, as it was pushed back to early 2017. According to reports, one of the major reasons behind the delay was director Tetsuro Araki working on a new project.

Araki took a break from "Attack on Titan" to direct "Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress," a new post-apocalyptic steampunk anime that tells the story of an outbreak that turned humans into undead or Kabane. The anime premiered last month.

It is said that Araki prioritized "Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress" over "Attack on Titan" season 2 because the former only has a dozen episodes, which he wanted done before he goes on to a more time-consuming project like "Attack on Titan."

It was Araki who confirmed back in 2014 during the premiere of the first "Attack on Titan" compilation movie that "Attack on Titan" season 2 will premiere this year. However, there hasn't been any concrete news or update ever since.

The delay was eventually confirmed by Selecta Vision, the official distributor of the "Attack on Titan" anime in Spain. Speaking to Mission Tokyo, the streaming company's marketing director Manu Guerrero revealed that "Attack on Titan" season 2 was indeed delayed to 2017.

"Attack on Titan" manga publisher Kodansha informed them of the delay. He did not provide an explanation of what led to it, although Guerrero expects and "hopes" the new season to be ready by January.

When it comes to the storylines expected to be featured in "Attack of Titan" season 2, it is said that it will reveal the humans who can transform into titans. On top of that, the identity of the Armored Titan and Colossal Titan are expected to be revealed.

The Beast Titan will allegedly be a big part of the story in "Attack on Titan" season 2, but quite possibly the most shocking, game-changing storyline in the new season will involve the purported death of one core Survey Corps member—Levi Ackerman.