Kerbal Space Program 2

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.

Gameplay
Kerbal Space Program 2 builds on the sandbox features of its predecessor Kerbal Space Program and is 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 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. 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. 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.

For various reasons, the release date was pushed back to Q3 2021. 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. 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. 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.

In November 2020, creative director Nate Simpson announced that the release date was delayed again to 2022. 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. In May 2022, a delay to early 2023 was announced.

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.

Before December 2023, the game only received minor updates. 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. 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. Later that month, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick denied the studio's closure but did not elaborate further.

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. A new update in December 2023 received positive reviews for introducing bug fixes and a new progression-based game mode.

After the WARN notice was announced by Private Division in 2024, the game was review bombed on Steam, causing recent reviews to fall from "Mixed" to "Overwhelmingly Negative."