If you'd clean forgotten that Kerbal Space Program had even been announced for the Wii U, don't worry - so had we, to be perfectly honest. We've heard pretty much nothing since it was revealed the game would be ported to Nintendo's current home console, but now developer Squad has broken its silence - and no, there aren't any prizes for guessing what's about to come next.
That's right - Kerbal Space Program looks like another one to add to the "canned" pile on Wii U:
We think it's necessary to shed some light regarding this topic. The industry landscape changed since we made that announcement. Although we were excited to release this port, external factors are forcing us to reevaluate if it is the right move for Kerbal Space Program. It is still too soon to give you a definite decision, so we'll give you more detailed information in the future.
Given that the Switch is just around the corner, this statement doesn't come as a massive shock. Hopefully Squad's reevaluation will involve porting the game to that console instead.
[source reddit.com]
Comments 39
I can understand them canning the Wii U development, but they never mentioned the potential to bring it to the Switch which is normally what gets mentioned. Be interesting to see if that's the path they take or whether they just leave it off Nintendo altogether.
This is the right decision. The full fat version on Steam is a great game and updated regularly but the PS4 version is absolutely shocking: buggy (worse than the Mac port!), hard to see the UI on a TV screen and driving it with a joypad is an exercise in futility. I can't imagine a Nintendo port being any better.
I don't understand, they said "release" like maybe they already have it but won't submit it to Nintendo, wouldn't that be a waste?
I mean, sure start working on a Switch port because that's where most of the money will be but also making a little off the Wii U port is better than nothing right?
They took a space age developing this game for Wii U. They announced it a year and a half ago.
@plug313 Not necessarily, it depends how much it costs to get it approved by Nintendo and stick it up on the Wii U store in addition to the percentage Nintendo will take from any sales made. May not be worth it on an essentially dead system.
Oh FFS! I think I can see where this is headed...
Canned.
Oh yeah, it's definitely a Switch port. They make an announcement for the first time in over a year, and it just happens to be two weeks after the Switch announcement. Coincidence? I think not!
That's a shame, but I can't really blame them - I'd buy it, but hard to see this getting enough sales on Wii U to make the release profitable at this point in time.
Fingers crossed that it might happen anyway, but definitely not holding my breath.
It's a shame as it would be great for Wii U owners to get as many games for the console before support is dropped. However, I don't think Kerbal Space Program would have been a good fit... the Wii U really struggles with a lot of physics happening at once (more so than the PS3/360).
A Switch version could be great though, especially with multitouch.
My kid was still waiting for this one on Wii U. And of course things changed since they announced it, that's what happens when you announce things a year and a half in advance like Playtonic.
Now where's the Wii U version of Darksiders Warmastered? Digital and disc.
Re-evaluating isn't the exact same as canned, they probably have finished development or near to and just want to see how the switch sells to see whether it is worth the time and money submitting it for the wiiU eShop. If sales are slower than expected and it looks like wiiU owners are not upgrading immediately then it may still be worth the effort however if enough wiiU owners make the jump then there will be even less demand on the eShop. It may be better to cut their losses. Such a shame but it's a realistic possibility.
I have held off buying this because I thought it would be great for the Wii U! Sad to see this! Will not buy it on any system! Do not like people or companies that don't keep their word !
Been waiting YEARS since they announced this. Damn all this bait and switch.
Rive and Yooka were the ones that hurt the most though.... boohoo.
Never understood why these companies wouldn't make it available wherever they can - for example Wii U is a total failure but still has 10 millions (right?) consoles in homes RIGHT NOW.... that is each a lost opportunity.
Well, whatever they ditch the installed Wii U userbase, they lost another sale -I am not Switch-ing.
@zeppray They were honest about it and I don't see how they did anything wrong. Like it or not, the Wii U is a dead system that has nothing major coming to it after Breath of the Wild. At this point, a Wii U port would be the same as them tossing money in a dumpster and lighting it all on fire.
The Wii U has nothing going for it at this point. Nintendo has already shifted their focus to the 3DS and Switch and even the last major Wii U game which is Zelda is being promoted more for the Switch then the Wii U.
The 3DS has a future with several major titles still to come to the platform. The Wii U? Its grave is dug and its about to join its older brothers and other dead platforms in the great game system heaven in the sky.
I don't blame a developer for getting the hell out of dodge at this point. Why bother with a Wii U port? I think they are doing the right thing here. People could argue about the fanbase of the Wii U, but how many people are still playing their systems? How many will still be playing the Wii U once the Switch arrives?
The Wii U like it or lump is on life support and once Zelda is released that's it.
I was anticipating this one for wiiu. What's with poor management in game developing? Why even announce a game for a platform if you're not certain it'll happen? Doesn't make any sense to me. It seems to happen a lot.
@zeppray like Nintendo?
Love it on PC, but the Xbox One version is unplayable.
Was really hoping for a Wii U version, I thought it was the perfect system for it.
They've taken too long to release it anyway, they lost my money. I remember looking it up in the eShop after seeing the trailer, but by now I've lost interest and moved on to other games.
I was looking forward to purchase this game on the Wii U. Not getting a Switch.
Unsurprising given the circumstances, but still disappointing. This was one of the very few download titles that I was looking forward to on the Wii U.
@MSVT I too was looking forward to this and Rive but hey at least the developers of Shovel Knight in spite of Wii - U by industry standards being a commercial failure have kept their word. Wouldn't you as a developer rather long term success then short gain. If you give your word no matter what you should keep it and look at how Yacht club has been successful they could have just let their success get to their head and said forget you Wii - U backers its a dead system and move on. They were smart to keep their fan base and there are people like me that will not support you when you break your word. Not sure if I'm spelling this right but as amazing as yooka laylee looks because of how they dropped the bomb so sudden and last minute which looks like an obvious bait and switch (no pun intended) i will no support that game but hey I wasn't going to get the Switch regardless as seeing that I already have two Wii - Us in the house and the Switch looks like a mild upgrade performance and graphic wise. I really don't care about graphics and performance but if I upgrade and spend 500 to 600 in hardware and accessories I at least want it to be superior to my last console but I feel that Wii - u is fine for me and I will just skip the switch and play my huge library of wii/wii u and download games for years to come since I only have time to game a maximum of 4 hours a week. I see no value in upgrading either to the switch if you meant, "Well, whatever they ditch the installed Wii U userbase, they lost another sale -I am not Switch-ing."
I asked myself that a few weeks ago and found this thread:
http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/153312-wii-u-launch-date-or-has-it-been-cancelled/
On January 11th they 'announced' its cancellation there.
It's really a shame, because Kerbal is perfect for the Wii U Gamepad. I passed on buying the game on Steam for several years now because of that.
Don't think I will buy it for Steam ever, because there is nothing like the Wii U Gamepad for PC.
And honestly, I don't get why. For years I've been waiting for someone to basically copy the idea of the Gamepad and release a similar controller for PC. I would immediately buy it. Hm, maybe I should organize a Kickstarter campaign.
@FragRed The reason why they wanted to bring it to the Wii U was the second screen. They called it the "definitive version of Kerbal Space Program" for a reason. And for this game, having a second screen makes a lot of sense.
The Switch has no second screen, so there's no enticement to port Kerbal to the Switch.
@Rman12 Yeah I asked Playtonic to refund my crowdfunding pledge for the same reason. No matter if I buy a Switch someday or not, I will never play Yooka-Laylee. Because they not only abandoned the Wii U suddenly, but also because they lied about the reasons for that. And it wasn't even a good lie, everyone can see right through it.
@Rman12
Oh yes, I like Shovel Night developers too!
I hear you, but as of now, we have millions of customers that have a Wii U (with little to choose from)... none have a Switch yet Seems like an easy sell to me as an option for what I think is many of us not Switch-ing, at least not for a while.
@Captain_Gonru Well at least they didn't do an interview in June saying they were handing off PS4 and X1 versions to Team 17 so they could devote all of their attention to making the best version themselves on Wii U.
"We wanted to make sure that Wii U gets the right attention"
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/06/playtonic_handling_wii_u_version_of_yooka-laylee_team17_porting_to_ps4_and_xbox_one
I'd really like to forget that, but I think I'll be taking it to the grave. Such ... I can't even. And after taking all of that KS money too. Hubris doesn't even begin to cover it.
@Damo The Wii U version of Hollow Knight has been canceled too.
http://www.nintendo-insider.com/2017/01/hollow-knight-descends-into-darkness-on-nintendo-switch/
@SLIGEACH_EIRE The reason it is taking so long is they ran into issues with an... inexperienced... porting company when they hired Flying Tiger. Those of us who frequent the official community kind of predicted it. They have since dismissed that company and hired BlitWorks (responsible for ports of Bastion, Don't Starve, Rebel Galaxy, and several others) to fix the problems with the existing PS4/XBox ports and probably work on Wii U or the Switch if they decide to continue it.
I have the PC version, I'd really like to play it with the gamepad, but it's not going to make me change my mind on not buying the Switch and truth be told, it's going to be better on the PC no matter how good the console version is.
Pretty obvious thus isn't coming out. Just have the guts to say so. :/ Everybody knows what's coming, anyway. Just announce the inevitable Switch port already.
Meh, this is the 6th or 7th game that has been canned. Why be surprised any more?
Doesn't Kerbal Space Program cause lag even on good PCs if your "spaceship" is elaborate enough?
Ugh, just say you're thinking of ditching it in favour of a switch version.
I'm finally getting numb from all the pain lol. Totally understandable to drop support, I mean Nintendo clearly did a long long time ago. This game looks really cool though, steam it is.
Too be honest I'd imagine Nintendo could be contacting devs themselves and saying "hey that Wii U game you had planned, why don't you put it in Switch instead" Don't think Nintendo are that fussed about any work they have to do on Wii U they would rather everything got moved to Switch so they can just shut down their work on the 'U'
If there was a Wii U OR a switch version of KSP it would run like crap, it already struggles a LOT on PS4 and like @DarkKirby said, it can even lag on a high end PC if you make a complex enough ship.
@Captain_Gonru I can see that. My kid was waiting on Kerbal too. I could easily get YL on PS4 but it will be free at the library now, or used, no more money for them, they've already gotten more than they deserve.
Doesn't bother me one bit as I would rather have it on Switch anyway. Kerbal on the go would be so dope.
@faint hey, remember when I said Kerbal and the other Nindies@night games were quietly cancelled, and you tried to correct me, Wed 14th Sep 2016. Well, turns out i'm right. Pretty much none of them came. I'm glad this finally got settled. I'll finally buy Action Henk and Kerbal on PS4.
@DarkKirby Depends on what you mean "elaborate". There are limits to everything and people like to push them. KSP doesn't stop you from doing that but it will make any system crawl if you add enough parts. That said, you can add quite a bit, especially since Unity 5 was introduced.
The people that have the biggest issues are people who build space stations and ships of the science fiction sized variety, the game itself targets real world rocketry though. If you stick to realistic sizes or even slightly futuristic sizes you won't have much an issue on a decent PC. Just steer clear of the 1000 part monstrosities.
All ppl saying its the right decision : I get your point ''If you're a Nintendo share holder'' and only thinking about profits !! But as customers and fans we should never agree with this kind of decision. Let me explain my point : Let's say we're back to the ''Few months before christmas era, 2016'' , and I see the Wii U publicity online, witch makes me want to buy one for my kids.. as a future customer i've looked @ the already released games AND @ the future interesting official releases announced on Nintendo's website. Kerbal's space program is listed on Nintendo dot com as a ''coming soon'' title, with a video trailer and everything.
So i buy the console, then I'm being told the future titles i was expecting ''and influenced my purchase decision'' are now on the ''canned'' pile and won't ever come out !! As THIS customer i won't trust Nintendo enough to buy any future consoles including the Switch.
Development has already been done and financed for a while on these titles, and were promised to the Wii U owners!! Even if the titles won't become a huge profit for the company they could and should at least release them on the e-shop, bring the announced product to the customers.
Immagine if Toyota announced a new Supra with a i6 turbo with a claimed 500hp for 50k , you pre-order it and then they deliver you a Supra with a 250hp 4 cylinder power unit !! It's pretty much the same don't you think !?
BTW : I bought a Switch myself.. even if i was stunt by the price tag and wasn't confident about the future of the product itself due to past sh1tty behaviors from nintendo, The nvidia chipset didn't impress me at first but then they first said it'll be affordable, 400$ CAN isin't affordable at all compared to 100$ less Ps4 or xbox one, but still i bought one being a Nintendo fan.. but sadly i feel like i'm gonna get fu**ed again loll .. first proof was the ''Zelda : Breath of the wild'' title having very little differences between the Wii U and Switch consoles...
Chris
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