Vivendi Universal Games said on Friday that the developers of "Half-Life 2," the most heavily anticipated video game of 2003, will not release the game on Tuesday as originally planned.

A spokeswoman for VUG, a unit of Vivendi Universal (NYSE:V - news) (EAUG.PA) said developer Valve Software issued a statement on Tuesday saying the game would not make Sept. 30 but was still targeted for an unspecified holiday release.

Audiences were wowed at last May's games industry trade show, E3, by a preview of the game that critics said brought a new level of realism to characters and the virtual world in which they move.

The original "Half-Life," released in 1998, is still popular among PC gamers, and a modified version of the game, called "Counter-Strike," is widely used in gaming competitions.

"Half-Life 2" stars Gordon Freeman, a scientist battling aliens from the planet Xen in a mysterious European locale known only as City 17.

"HL2" and "Doom 3" were expected to compete for the hearts and wallets of PC gamers this holiday season, but when "Doom" publisher Activision Inc. (Nasdaq:ATVI - news) said the game would not be out until at least early next year, the path was left clear for "HL2" to dominate the sales charts.

The game's release is also expected to benefit makers of high-end computers customized for gaming, machines that use the latest components and can often cost thousands of dollars.

Computer graphics chip designers Nvidia Corp. (Nasdaq:NVDA - news) and ATI Technologies Inc. (Toronto:ATY.TO - news) in particular have waged a public dispute over whose chips are better suited to run the game. ATI sponsored the "HL2" demonstration at E3, while Nvidia has been seen as more closely allied with "Doom."