Kerbal Space Program developer Star Theory Games announced that Kerbal Space Program 2 has been delayed. The developer announced Kerbal Space Program 2 in August 2019 and had planned to release the space flight simulation game in 2020.
On Twitter, Star Theory Games said the Kerbal Space Program 2 release date will now be fall 2021. The developer said that making a "big" game with more new features is taking longer than expected and that COVID-19 has also made it harder to create and test parts of the game. Star Theory Games isn't the only game development team to have been affected by COVID-19, as teams such as Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt RED are now also working from home.
Fans, who Star Theory Games lovingly calls "Kerbonauts" in its announcement post, have responded positively to the announcement. While some are disappointed that they won't get to play Kerbal Space Program 2 as soon as they'd expected, many are offering words of support, saying that the health of the development team is much more important than releasing the game in 2020.
Many are also asking Star Theory Games to take its time with development if it means that Kerbal Space Program 2 will release with fewer technical issues. In games like Kerbal Space Program, the bugs can be part of the fun, but most seem to want bug-free gameplay with the new release.
Kerbal Space Program 2 is unlikely to be the last game delayed out of 2020 and into 2021. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has suggested that COVID-19 could affect game releases next year, meaning that more delay announcements could be made.
Kerbal Space Program 2Â is expected to launch in fall 2021 for PC and later for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.