I would love to take news like this and believe it in optimistically and wholeheartedly; however life has granted me a healthy sense of skepticism (for better or worse).
I love KSP. currently going on 500+ hours (which i am sure is a drop in the bucket compared to most fans out there). I want to see more/better KSP as much as anyone else.
However, having been part of the corporate side of M&A frequently enough, I have seen the initial honeymoon period end quickly to the business expectation a new subsidiary must now meet or start the path to meet (culture adjustments, corporate standards, system integrations, etc..). While I am unsure at what the business relation is now (T2 purchased the IP to Kerbal, and SQUAD is to continue development as a 3rd party, SQUAD is a wholly/partly owned subsidiary, etc), even under the best case scenario, this comes with some very significant new consideration, such as their existence within the T2 environment (be aware not to compete/bump with release dates of other titles/updates to titles) and T2's overall goals and strategies. T2 made an investment in KSP/SQUAD, and any company worth their salt will not let an investment run wild and hope it pays out in the long run; they will put checks and balances in place with periodical monitoring to make sure their investment is on track for returns (the red tape). Remember, while T2 makes their business making games in the broader sense, as a for profit company, they are legally obligated to have their shareholder's interest at the forefront. While very few companies are dumb enough to burn bridges with and warrant hate from their consumer base (*cough* EA *cough*) , we as gamers/fans are no longer the only audience SQUAD must be mindful of.
To reiterate, I love KSP. I want to believe this will for the benefit of both SQUAD and T2. This is not me trying to be a downer or negative, just adding a bit of realism to this ordeal and putting my thoughts into words. If this event HAD to absolutely happen, T2 is by far the best option out there as far as AAA publishers. As someone who is adult enough to learn to back/support based on quality and consumer respect instead of hype, T2 is one of the few game companies i stand behind still. Been a fan of GTA since early PS2 days, love Bioshock/Borderlands and play Civ avidly. This deal will offer resources SQUAD would have been hard pressed to come by on their own, which ideally will turn into a better KSP product/experience.
In the end you can throw me into the "mixed feelings" population. Here are my wishes to (hopefully) a longer and greater space adventure in KSP!
