Kerbal Space Program 2

Last updated

Kerbal Space Program 2
Kerbal Space Program 2 Early Access Poster.jpg
Early access image
Developer(s)
  • Intercept Games
  • Squad
Publisher(s) Private Division
Director(s) Nate Simpson
Producer(s) Nate Robinson
Engine Unity [1]
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s) Space flight simulation
Mode(s) Single-player

Kerbal Space Program 2 is a space flight simulation video game developed by Intercept Games and published by Private Division. It is the sequel to 2015's Kerbal Space Program and was released on early access on February 24, 2023, for Windows. Currently, development is halted after the closing of Intercept Games was initiated.

Contents

Gameplay

Kerbal Space Program 2 builds on the sandbox features of its predecessor Kerbal Space Program and was set on adding new propulsion methods (e.g. the Orion drive), habitation modules for building on-surface, orbital and planetary colonies, a multiplayer mode, as well as interstellar travel [2] [3] throughout the course of its early access.

Development

Kerbal Space Program 2 was announced at Gamescom 2019 on August 19, with an initial release date set for early 2020. The game was in development by Star Theory Games, formerly Uber Entertainment, which changed its name in order to display a stronger association with the Kerbal Space Program franchise. Development was shifted to Star Theory in part so that Squad could focus on developing further updates for the original game. [4] To ensure that the experience felt "grounded", the team consulted a panel of scientists and experts including Dr. Uri Shumlak, the associate chair of the University of Washington's Aeronautics and Astronautics department, Scott Manley, an astrophysicist and YouTuber who has made videos on Kerbal Space Program, and Dr. Joel Green, also an astrophysicist. [5] Kerbal Space Program received feedback that the game was too overwhelming for new players. Therefore, the team has stated that they aim to make the game more accessible by introducing more tutorials in order to give more guidance to players and ensure they understand the game's various systems. [4]

For various reasons, the release date was pushed back to Q3 2021. [6] Take-Two established a new unnamed studio under Private Division to continue development of Kerbal Space Program 2, with some of Star Theory's employees brought into it, leaving it unclear what Star Theory's role remains on the title. [7] Later reporting by Bloomberg revealed that Take-Two was in talks to acquire Star Theory but abruptly changed course, set up a new studio to develop the game (Intercept Games), and then poached a third of Star Theory's developers including the creative director and the lead producer. [8] Star Theory closed its doors three months later. It was announced in August 21 that Squad, the developer of the original Kerbal Space Program, will also be involved in the sequel's development. [9]

In November 2020, creative director Nate Simpson announced that the release date was delayed again to 2022. [10] [11] In June 2021, it was announced via the game's official Twitter account that the game would also be launching on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2022. [12] [13] In May 2022, a delay to early 2023 was announced. [14]

In October 2022, an early access date of February 24, 2023, for Windows, was announced. Private Division and Intercept Games also published a roadmap detailing future development. Early Access aimed to have all the features and content of the original Kerbal Space Program, but with an improved user experience, new parts, and improved tutorials. Promised future developments include science, colonies, interstellar travel, multiplayer, improved exploration and resource gathering. [15]

Before December 2023, the game only received minor updates. [16] However, at Space Creator Day 2023, Simpson announced that the first major roadmap update would be released in December 2023 in an update called "For Science!". The update added a gameplay mode called "Exploration Mode", which resembles the Science gameplay mode from Kerbal Space Program. [17] [18] The update was released on December 19, 2023.

In May 2024, A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice, combined with Bloomberg reporting, indicated Take-Two would shut down Intercept Games. While a post on the Kerbal Space Program Twitter/X account stated the game was still being worked on, Take-Two has issued no statements directly related to the shut down of Intercept Games. [19] [20] [21] [22] Later that month, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick denied the studio's closure but did not elaborate further. [23] Although former developers in the studio, such as design manager Quinn Duffy, claimed otherwise, indicating that the team would be laid off on June 28, 2024. [24]

Reception

Kerbal Space Program 2 has received mixed reviews. According to PC Gamer , players criticized the game for its poor technical performance, bugs and lack of content at launch; however, players praised the improved graphics, sound design and quality-of-life changes over Kerbal Space Program. [25] [26] A new update in December 2023 received positive reviews for introducing bug fixes and a new progression-based game mode. [27] [28]

However, when a WARN notice was issued by Private Division on April 29, 2024, [29] the game was review bombed on Steam, due to Take-Two Interactive shutting down its development studio, Intercept Games, causing the recent review average to fall from "Mixed" to "Overwhelmingly Negative." [30] [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic Arts</span> American video game company

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the designers and programmers responsible for its games as "software artists". EA published numerous games and some productivity software for personal computers, all of which were developed by external individuals or groups until 1987's Skate or Die! The company shifted toward internal game studios, often through acquisitions, such as Distinctive Software becoming EA Canada in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take-Two Interactive</span> American video game holding company

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daybreak Game Company</span> American video game developer

Daybreak Game Company LLC is an American video game developer based in San Diego. The company was founded in December 1997 as Sony Online Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment, but was spun off to an independent investor in February 2015 and renamed Daybreak Game Company. On December 1, 2020, Daybreak Game Company entered into an agreement to be acquired by Enad Global 7.

<i>Heroes of Newerth</i> Multiplayer online battle arena video game

Heroes of Newerth (HoN) was a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game originally developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The game idea was derived from the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne custom map Defense of the Ancients and was S2 Games' first MOBA title. The game was released on May 12, 2010, and re-released as a free-to-play game on July 29, 2011. On May 5, 2015, Heroes of Newerth development duties passed to Frostburn Studios, with the development team moving over to the new company. The service ceased operations on June 20, 2022, but the game is still playable with the community's support.

Facepunch Studios Ltd is a British video game developer and publisher headquartered in Birmingham, England, founded in June 2004 and incorporated on 17 March 2009 by Garry Newman. The company is most known for its sandbox video game Garry's Mod and survival game Rust. Facepunch is currently developing s&box, which is regarded as a spiritual successor to Garry's Mod.

Hawken is a free-to-play multiplayer mech first-person shooter video game. The game features five game modes: Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, Co-op Bot Team Deathmatch, Siege, and Missile Assault. It follows the freemium model of game monetization, where in-game purchases are the main source of revenue.

<i>Kerbal Space Program</i> Space flight simulator video game

Kerbal Space Program (KSP) is a space flight simulation video game developed by Mexican studio Squad for Linux, macOS, Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. In the game, players direct the space program of a species of green humanoid aliens known as "Kerbals". The game features a pseudorealistic orbital physics engine, allowing for various real-life orbital maneuvers such as Hohmann transfer orbits and orbital rendezvous.

<i>Star Citizen</i> Upcoming multiplayer space game

Star Citizen is an in-development multiplayer, space trading and combat simulation game. The game is being developed and published by Cloud Imperium Games for Windows. An extended retry of unrealized plans for Freelancer, Star Citizen is led by director Chris Roberts. The game was announced via a private crowdfunding page in September 2012, followed on October 18, 2012 by a successful Kickstarter campaign which drew over US$2 million. Pre-production of the game began in 2010, with production starting in 2011.

Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release development cycles, such as pre-alpha, alpha, and/or beta, while the developer is able to use those funds to continue further development on the game. Those that pay to participate typically help to debug the game, provide feedback and suggestions, may have access to special materials in the game. The early-access approach is a common way to obtain funding for indie games, and may also be used along with other funding mechanisms, including crowdfunding. Many crowdfunding projects promise to offer access to alpha and/or beta versions of the game as development progresses; however, unlike some of these projects which solicit funds but do not yet have a playable game, all early access games offer an immediately playable version of the unfinished game to players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uber Entertainment</span> American video game developer

Star Theory Games was an American video game developer based in Bellevue, Washington. Founded in March 2008 by Bob Berry and Jonathan Mavor, it released its first title, Monday Night Combat, in 2010 to positive reviews. The company assumed the name Star Theory Games in 2019. It wound down in March 2020 after the contract for its game Kerbal Space Program 2 was canceled by publisher Private Division, which set up a new studio and hired a large portion of Star Theory's staff in December 2019 to continue the game's development, before Star Theory and its remaining staff became unable to secure new publishing agreements as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firesprite</span> British video game developer

Firesprite is a British video game developer formed in 2012 by former members of Studio Liverpool based in Liverpool. In September 2021, Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired the company, making them a first-party developer for PlayStation Studios.

<i>Factorio</i> Construction and management simulation video game

Factorio is a construction and management simulation game developed and published by Czech studio Wube Software. The game was announced via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign in 2013 and released for Windows, macOS, and Linux on 14 August 2020 following a four-year long early access phase to positive reviews. The game was released on Nintendo Switch on 28 October 2022.

<i>Vainglory</i> (video game) Multiplayer online battle arena video game

Vainglory is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game, developed and published by Super Evil Megacorp for iOS, Android and PC. As many games in its genre, Vainglory's gameplay focuses on player versus player battles, with players split into two teams of three or five with the ultimate goal of destroying the opposing team's base. The game was released for iOS on November 16, 2014, after being soft-launched for over half a year, with the Android version being released on July 2, 2015. A Mac and Microsoft Windows version of the game was released in July 2018. Through cross-platform play, players on all four platforms can play together simultaneously.

RimWorld is a construction and management simulation video game developed and published by the Canadian-based developer Ludeon Studios. Originally called Eclipse Colony, it was initially released as a Kickstarter crowdfunding project in early access for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux in November 2013, and was released on October 17, 2018. The game was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as RimWorld Console Edition on July 29, 2022, with development and publishing being handled by Double Eleven. Rather than a test of skill or a challenge, the game is intended to serve as an AI-powered "story generator", where the game is used as the medium for players to experience narrative adventures. The game has received outstanding reviews from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curse LLC</span> Network of gaming websites

Curse was a gaming company that managed the video game mod host CurseForge, wiki host Gamepedia, and the Curse Network of gaming community websites.

<i>Ark: Survival Evolved</i> 2017 video game

Ark: Survival Evolved is a 2017 action-adventure survival video game developed by Studio Wildcard. In the game, players must survive being stranded on one of several maps filled with roaming dinosaurs, fictional fantasy monsters, and other prehistoric animals, natural hazards, and potentially hostile human players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Private Division</span> American video game publisher

Private Division is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was founded by Take-Two Interactive and announced in December 2017. Private Division funds and publishes indie games developed by small to mid-sized studios. This includes taking over Kerbal Space Program publishing and releasing titles from Obsidian Entertainment, Panache Digital Games, and V1 Interactive.

Felipe Falanghe, known online as ''HarvesteR'', is a Mexican video game programmer. He is the creator of the video game Kerbal Space Program, along with KitHack.

References

  1. ↑ "Made with Unity Monthly: February 2023 roundup". Unity Technologies . Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  2. ↑ Savage, Phil (August 19, 2019). "Kerbal Space Program 2 announced". PC Gamer . Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  3. ↑ Savage, Phil (August 19, 2019). "Kerbal Space Program 2's New Devs on Adding Interstellar Flight, Colonies and More to the PC's Greatest Space Sim". PC Gamer . Future plc . Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Valentine, Rebekah (October 28, 2019). "Star Theory's shot beyond the Mun with Kerbal Space Program 2". GamesIndustry.biz . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  5. ↑ Boudreau, Ian (March 11, 2020). "Kerbal Space Program 2 heads to space while grounded in science". PCGamesN . Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  6. ↑ Lee, Julia (May 20, 2020). "Kerbal Space Program 2 has been delayed to fall 2021". Polygon . Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  7. ↑ Robinson, Andy (February 20, 2020). "Take-Two forms new studio for KSP2, with original developer's role unclear". Video Games Chronicle . Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  8. ↑ Schreier, Jason (June 3, 2020). "Game Publisher Cancels Contract With Developer, Then Tries to Poach Its Entire Team". Bloomberg . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ Wales, Matt (August 6, 2021). "After more than a decade, development of Kerbal Space Program has come to an end". Eurogamer . Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  10. ↑ Plunkett, Luke (November 5, 2020). "Kerbal Space Program 2 Delayed To 2022". Kotaku . Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  11. ↑ Knoop, Joseph (November 5, 2020). "Kerbal Space Program 2 Delayed Again to at Least 2022". IGN . Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  12. ↑ @KerbalSpaceP (June 24, 2021). "We're also thrilled to announce that Kerbal Space Program 2 will be coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2022! More details coming at a later date. #KSP2 #KerbalSpaceProgram2" (Tweet). Retrieved July 5, 2021– via Twitter.
  13. ↑ Bayliss, Ben (June 24, 2021). "Kerbal Space Program 2 sets thrusters to PS5 and Xbox Series X and S". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  14. ↑ Kerbal Space Program 2 Timing Update. Kerbal Space Program. May 16, 2021 – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ Fingas, Jon (October 21, 2022). "'Kerbal Space Program 2' finally arrives on February 24th". Engadget . Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  16. ↑ "KSP2 Patch Notes". Kerbal Space Program Forums.
  17. ↑ "Introducing.....For Science!". KerbalSpaceProgram.com. October 21, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  18. ↑ Science Update Revealed! Kerbal Space Program 2 Presentation + 4K Trailer + Crowd Reactions. ShadowZone. October 23, 2023 – via YouTube.
  19. ↑ @KerbalSpaceP (May 1, 2024). "We're still hard at work on KSP2. We'll talk more when we can" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ↑ "Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN)". Employment Security Department - Washington State. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  21. ↑ Kerr, Chris (May 1, 2024). "Take-Two confirms Kerbal Space Program 2 is safe despite Seattle layoffs". Game Developer. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  22. ↑ Schreier, Jason (May 1, 2024). "Take-Two Interactive Shuts Down Two Game Studios". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  23. ↑ Valentine, Rebekah (May 16, 2024). "Take-Two CEO on Intercept, Roll7: 'We Didn't Shutter Those Studios'". IGN. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  24. ↑ Reporter, Matt Wales News (May 28, 2024). "Kerbal Space Program 2 team to be laid off in June, says senior manager". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  25. ↑ Fenlon, Wes (February 28, 2023). "'Too early access for early access'—players react to Kerbal Space Program 2 launch". PC Gamer . Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  26. ↑ Kennedy, Victoria (February 28, 2023). "Kerbal Space Program 2 rocky launch leaves players asking for refunds". Eurogamer . Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  27. ↑ Brading, Gareth (February 28, 2024). "Review: One year into Kerbal Space Program 2 Early Access, small steps towards greatness - Entertainium" . Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  28. ↑ Jovanée, Alice (December 20, 2023). "Kerbal Space Program 2's latest update launches player count into orbit". Polygon. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  29. ↑ https://esd.wa.gov/about-employees/WARN [ bare URL ]
  30. ↑ Chalk, Andy (May 2, 2024). "Kerbal Space Program fans react with anger over Intercept Games closure, and you know what that means: Review bombing on Steam". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  31. ↑ Lyles, Taylor (May 2, 2024). "Kerbal Space Program 2 Is Getting Review-Bombed After Take-Two Shut Down Its Developer". IGN. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.