Both GameStop and Amazon.com now list the game as releasing on August 25, a substantial push from the previous target of Q1 2008. While retailers are notorious for using placeholder dates, it is extremely unlikely that two separate retailers would shift to the same date without outside word.

It wouldn't be the first delay for Mercenaries 2, which was originally slated to hit in the fall of 2007. "We wanted to time it more closely to the movie," Pandemic co-founder and president Josh Resnick said at the time. "But then we realized that we don't have a movie, so we just said, 'Aww hell, let's just make the game better.'"

Prior to the initial delay, the Venezuela Solidarity Network had petitioned U2 frontman Bono (pictured above) to cancel the title, as Bono was then a partial owner of Pandemic. The group claimed that Bono's efforts towards world peace and Pandemic's glorification of violence against Venezuela created a conflict of interest, and trumpeted the first delay as a victory despite never hearing from Bono.

Much to the chagrin of those entertained by the whole ordeal, Bono was then removed from the equation when Electronic Arts purchased the VG Holding Corp.--owner of Pandemic and BioWare--for $860 million.

Shacknews has sent inquires to both EA and Pandemic regarding the rumored delay, but has yet to hear back.