The founder of Atooi, Jools Watsham, has released a new blog post discussing everything the company has been working on over the past four months. He began by apologising for the delay of Chicken Wiggle Workshop on the Switch. The current objective is to release the game by the fourth quarter of 2019. So, sometime between October and December. Right now, the team is busy adding more content to the game and polishing every aspect of it to improve the overall experience:
"We're adding more content to the game as well as polishing every aspect of it, which all takes extra production effort and time. The additional content we're adding improves the player's overall enjoyment and experience of the game - making it a much better title - while also addressing some of the feedback we received from the original release on 3DS. In short, we're adding our own internal stretch goals to the project, despite the Kickstarter not reaching those extra funding goals."
Jools further explained how developing multiple projects at once resulted in shared resources and slower progress:
"Sometimes we must share resources across projects to keep Atooi, as a whole, on track with our overall company strategy. We are always developing multiple projects simultaneously. This is to ensure we have a steady stream of releases and hopefully a steady stream of revenue. This enables Atooi to continue making great games. The adverse effect of this approach is that it can slow down progress on some or all of our projects for a period."
After this, he discussed how the company has three secret projects underway. The first is a physical release, the second appears to be a free online game and the third is a puzzle adventure title:
Secret Project #1: We are wrapping up a very special physical release right now. That's right - a game in a box!! If everything goes as planned, it will be available to purchase in the next few months. I think this will be a very nice surprise for Atooi fans. Keep your eyes and ears open for more news on this very special release. We should have more news to share during E3, which is this June.
Secret Project #2: This title is extremely exciting and also extremely risky for us. We're throwing our hat into the ring of free online games for Nintendo Switch (and hopefully other platforms eventually). Insanity? Yes, probably! The game is progressing extremely well, so even if it is not a financial success, it will certainly be a game that I am immensely proud of, and a game I am looking forward to play with everyone fairly soon-ish. More news closer to completion.
Secret Project #3: We have a puzzle adventure in the works, which shows excellent promise. It is a concept I first created many years ago that we're finally developing now. It scratches a new itch when compared to our other titles. Exciting stuff. More news soon.
The last bit of news was about Treasurenauts. It's still on the way, even if it was announced way back in 2013. Currently, the team is looking towards a 2020 release. Apart from this, the project is chugging along nicely.
"Yes, we're still working on the game I first - mistakenly - announced way back in 2013. We're tentatively looking at a 2020 release. I won't have any new details to share until next year, I expect. The game is progressing very well. I am looking forward to share more on the game in the future."
If you don't already own an Atooi game, now is a great chance to try one out thanks to the current sale on the eShop. You can get 80% off the Mutant Mudds Collection, Xeodrifter, Totes the Goat and Soccer Slammers.
[source joolswatsham.blogspot.com]
Comments (27)
I love the Mutant Mudds Collection and highly recommend it. I own it physically and digitally i like it so much.
Chicken Wiggle was supposed to release last year, but now that he has the Kickstarter money it may not even make it this year, because he's busy working on other games instead.
Atooi's delays continue to be legendary.
I need to snake Totes during that sale. Thanks for the heads up.
I just hope he doesn`t whine all over the internet again if it doesn`t sell well, specially seeing as Chicken Wiggle was supposed to launch last year...
I really enjoyed Chicken Wiggle on the 3DS. Fun and challenging, but without being frustrating or impossible.
I did back it on Kickstarter and appreciate the update.
Mutant muds and xeodrifter are two fantastic underrated games on switch
Yessss! Looking very much forward to finally playing Chicken Wiggle!
At this point if Treasurenauts isn't far beyond what I've seen already then I fear it's basically shot itself in the foot taking sooo long to come out. What I've seen of it thus far simply would not justify such a long development time in most people's eyes as far as I'm concerned, so the final product had better go way beyond the stuff shown to date. I hope Atooi knows what it's doing on this one.
How is this company still afloat?
I mean, isn't the game industry always painted as extremely competitive, risky and unhealthily hard to survive in.
Yet this guy releases pretty niche games in the scoring brackets of 5 to 8, with common heavy discounts in the 60 to 80 percentiles a couple of months after release.
Something doesn't add up.
I'm curious to see what the mystery games are. A F2P game sounds interesting depending on what idea he has come up with.
I just want TREASURENAUTS.... That's all.... GIVE ME FREAKING TREASURENAUTS!!!!!!!!!!
I like Jools, but he should not head a company. He don't seem to know how to run a business.
I don't believe in Treasurenauts anymore.
@MattFox He blamed, among other things, Super Mario Maker for 3DS. Now he will release his game after... Super Mario Maker 2.
Plus he compared Mutant Mudds on Switch with... Enter the Gungeon when talking about sales of both games.
He is a cool person, but he don't know how to run a company.
@impurekind At first it would be a 3DS exclusive, now he want to launch it in all platforms at the same day. This is one of the reasons of the delay, but, well, I don't want to play this anymore.
I was hoping this would come out before Mario maker 2 to give something to hold over til it arrived.
Jools seems like a nice guy and I have purchased nearly every game Renegade Kid and Atooi has ever released, along with supporting the Chicken Wiggle Kickstarter (my first and only Kickstarter) but this is really, really disappointing.
December 18 was the target window for Chicken Wiggle Switch and now it looks like it will be December 19. I'm glad he is trying to make it as good a game as possible but all the good will Jools built up over the years is now gone in my eyes. And this could have been avoided if he had simply put a more realistic release date on his Kickstarter.
I am truly, thoroughly disappointed with Jools and Atooi.
I was really interested in Chicken Wiggle Workshop, but after Super Mario Maker 2 was announced, most of it just kind of faded away. It'll still go on my eShop wishlist, but it's no longer an impulse buy for me.
@Baart When you are a small team in a place with low cost of living it is really easy.
I don't want to hear/read the name Treasurenauts again until the thing is actually released.
I didn’t design any levels in Chicken Wiggle, but I enjoyed playing the top rated fan levels. The Switch screen or TV will make it easier to design levels, but as others have said - Mario Maker 2 will beat them to the punch.
I was starting to wonder what these guys are up to. I felt like they dropped off the map for a little while even though they make pretty good games in my opinion.
I was interested in Chicken Wiggle because a host of Talk Nintendo podcast was one person working on the redone music and seems like a fun concept. I was really hoping it would have a chance getting out before Mario Maker 2. This is disappointing and agree the company needs a real management overhaul as keep making terrible business decisions.
@cyrus_zuo Yeah I backed it...not happy about it. Just release what you promised, we didn't back it for ALL THIS NEW CONTENT you didn't announce at beginning. Given how he mostly forces backers to get details and responses thru discord versus updating 1 eveyr few months on kickstarter, he obviously took that money and put it into other things. A game that simple with so much of the backbone of it already done...he HAD to know it wasn't coming out Dec 2018. So when he announced 4th quarter 2019, it's like no way did he underestimate that much. He's a veteran at this point.
@MattFox Totally...I used to like their games but just hate when he is whining or blaming others for his fails...
I've bought nearly all of his games and am generally a fan. This update doesn't surprise me in the least because it's Jools and it's not like I'm just sitting here with nothing to do before his games come out. So, until the day comes when he releases a new game, I'll simply play something else. Not that big of a deal and I backed the KS.
@Dang69 One of the reasons for the delay is likely to wait for the dust to settle on Maker Mario 2. It would be absolute financial suicide to release it this summer when everyone is still very high on Mario and not even caring to check the eShop for new releases. Granted, streamers will probably still be high on it come this winter, but average gamers will likely have moved on by then, in which case, a new level editor game might just grab their attention.
Of course, that doesn't fully excuse the several months of delays that occurred before the rumors and announcement of Mario Maker 2. But, that's Jools. He has never released a game on time, to my knowledge. That's what happens when you're a very small studio that puts passion and ambition over dollars and schedules.
The complete opposite of that philosophy might just be EA...
A Dream of Treasurenaughts by Jools R.R Watsham.
Estimated release date: Never.
I have no faith in Jools anymore. Hopefully if the game does poorly he won't be making excuses anymore. I'm not sure how much attention the game will get after Mario Maker 2 is out but we'll see.
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