Folie à Deux (album) a tight deadline to get the album out on November 4. While on a promotional tour in Spain, the band realized that things were "spinning out of control", and, in a rushed-out statement, explained: Deciding to postpone the album release in a season in which artists like Britney Spears ("Circus"), Beyoncé ("I Am... Sasha Fierce"), Kanye West ("808s & Heartbreak"), and Guns N' Roses ("Chinese Democracy") had already set release dates, the only one available was six weeks later than expected. The album was made available for streaming on December 8. It was soon announced that a new release date
Chinese Democracy fist holding a star covered by flailing human figures. Photographs of the Hong Kong skyline and the Chinese military also appear in the booklet. The booklet also includes pictures of Rose, Buckethead, Stinson, Pitman, Finck, Fortus, Bumblefoot, Reed, Brain, and Ferrer alongside lyrics to the songs. Rose stated in December 2008 that two alternate booklets were pending release, adding "the artwork has always been something I've been passionate about, and to release the album with unapproved and unseen final artwork with a 1st work only error filled draft when others more recent were readily available still has not been explained."