Kerbal Space Program games are about carefully building a rocket and sending it into outer space. Sometimes it falls apart; sometimes it takes longer than usual to get things going. That’s figuratively what’s happening at developer Intercept Games, which announced that Kerbal Space Program 2 has been delayed.
The announcement came via a new video called Kerbal Space Program 2 Timing Update. In it, creative director Nate Simpson explains the reason for the delay. “We’re creating a game of immense technological complexity,” he begins. “The game has to be performant across a wide range of machines. The graphics have to be peerless. The universe has to be rich and interesting to explore. Thank you so much for believing in us, and we can’t wait to fly with you soon.”
Getting the game to look good and play smoothly on all platforms certainly sounds like a challenge — it’s planned for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. “Kerbal Space Program 2 is coming out on PC in early 2023,” Simpson states, “and on consoles after that.” It’s a loose launch window all around, but at a minimum, it means fans have to wait till next year.
This isn’t the first time Kerbal Space Program 2 has been delayed. It was announced at Gamescom 2019 with a very beautiful cinematic trailer, but that’s all we’ve seen of the game since. It was originally slated for a 2020 release, which of course didn’t happen. Here we are two years beyond that, and it’s now being pushed to 2023.
At least there are some alternatives while we wait. The original Kerbal Space Program game came to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S just last fall, so that’s still a fairly fresh experience. Intercept Games has also partnered with manufacturer Drop to create Kerbal Space Program key caps, featuring the cute little green astronauts in their suits.
