KSP Acquired by Take-Two Interactive

[ansaman]

15 hours ago, UomoCapra said:

Squad will remain completely separate from Rockstar Games, 2K or any other T2 studio. We’ll continue to operate autonomously and have total creative control with the full support of Take-Two.

BTW, I have to say thank-you to the staff for their patience and time taken to address the community's concerns. People are really attached to KSP. I have been playing since June 2013 and I have put in literally thousands of hours (some weeks more than 40). I have never found it boring and I have played career a new way each time and redesigned craft over and over. This is more than just a game for many of us. I was born in 1959 and grew up in awe and wonder of the space program and what has been accomplished since. This is a way for me to participate in all that in a fanciful way. To imagine what it was like to deal with many problems associated with creating the vehicles and the amazing amount of planning involved as well as understanding the real life orbital mechanics in a way that was not available before. Many computer games are a diversion; this for many of us is a passion. SQUAD and Harvester made this possible and many others have carried on the work and participated in creating features and mods. KSP is important to some of us in a way that many people might not understand.

And it sure doesn't hurt that my REAL last name is Manley. (As far as I can tell Scott and I are not related, but you never know.)

Edited June 1, 2017 by ansaman
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[Sirad]

Now get your Terrier Engine only valid today's cheap offer for 4.99$

Special offer this week: Add another Duna Moon for only 29.99$

T2 invested a lot of Money and sure they want revenue on their investment.

Edited June 1, 2017 by Sirad

[Azimech]

4 minutes ago, ansaman said:

 KSP is important to some of us in a way that many people might not understand.

Agreed. I discovered KSP in 2012 and haven't played other games since. I've discovered a lot about myself and I'm looking for a new future.

Edited June 1, 2017 by Azimech

[ansaman]

9 hours ago, Lupi said:

We don't know much about the deal, but in the case of the book comparison, often authors and publishers negotiate things like rights to the name, to producing movies based on the book, and so on.

OMG!!! I can just see "The Kerbal Movie" and "The Kerbal Anime" (think KSP meets Cowboy Bebop or KSP meets Ghost in the Shell) LOL

[Azimech]

1 minute ago, ansaman said:

OMG!!! I can just see "The Kerbal Movie" and "The Kerbal Anime" (think KSP meets Cowboy Bebop or KSP meets Ghost in the Shell) LOL

This made me giggle. A lot. Still busy.

[ansaman]

3 hours ago, razark said:

Sky falling.  All doomed.  KSP is over.  Civilizations ended.  All human life wiped from the face of the earth.

Oh... I get it... KSP meets Planet of the Apes. Humans destroy the earth and themselves while the genetically engineered (plant based) human created Kerbals replace them.

[mattinoz]

2 minutes ago, ansaman said:

Oh... I get it... KSP meets Planet of the Apes. Humans destroy the earth and themselves while the genetically engineered (plant based) human created Kerbals replace them.

 

That would be Planet of the Grapes!

[Azimech]

1 minute ago, ansaman said:

Oh... I get it... KSP meets Planet of the Apes. Humans destroy the earth and themselves while the genetically engineered (plant based) human created Kerbals replace them.

With Gargamel as the sole surviving antagonist.

[Medalla]

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!

Edited June 1, 2017 by Medalla
words

[mattinoz]

Netflix orginal series "Making History" Weekly challenges are set to recreate historic missions in human history but more Kerbal. The most kerbal version has Craft and Flight Path recorded and turned into Doco voiced by Scott Manly and John Hurt of BBC Human Planet fame.

[Benjamin Kerman]

I think all i can say at this point is

[Eskandare]

16 hours ago, EladDv said:

I've heard some stories from devs on how TT work, I wont divulge most of the details but let's just say that funding can be tight, quality is sometimes sacrificed for hitting deadlines and community support is not at the top of their priorities 

 

16 hours ago, EladDv said:

Those are personal conversation I've had with devs working in well known companies on well known titles under Take Two and 2K specifically. I'm sorry I cant provide sources out of respect to the privacy of the people I talked with.

But be sure this is industry wide - look on all the half finished buggy games that are coming out lately.

 

16 hours ago, UomoCapra said:

The complete opposite is happening here. Take-Two has shown us nothing but its full commitment to make KSP as great as it can be.

 

16 hours ago, EladDv said:

I sure do hope so! Those stories are but a few cases in a large publishing house. Not all games are being treated the same and I hope KSP gets the best treatment possible (as all games and development houses) but sometimes there are hitches in the road, whether it comes from management or marketing or issues with developers or fans.

I dont want to be a naysayer I'd love it if KSP will continue to grow under the TT umbrella.

I too have mixed feelings about this. A large publishing house taking over does seem to have its benefits with its larger budget, but at the same time TT has had a spotty history which reflects in some of its games. The thing that TT must, and I mean must understand is that KSP has a big community and has high visibility to the point it has gotten the attention of NASA, the ESA, and Space X. With that, TT has to understand it is make or break under the scrutiny of the aerospace industry. Even though this is not a level of oversight or finance backing that these organisations are involved, but in much the way of reputation as the scientific and aerospace community is very strict and may frown upon a poorly constructed project in such a way that it could hurt TT games and possibly effect the opinions of some of their other partners. It is a absolute feat that KSP has had such recognition from such organisations, and from my understanding, from engineers to professors that the aerospace community has watched KSP carefully. Not only the aerospace industry but also especially those in the modding community (a huge backbone to KSP's success). Should TT games treat KSP as a cash grab like some of their titles, the effect could ripple in a way that financial support from investors could curtail. KSP is used as a teaching aid, a way for some to relax with a physics sand box game, for some to simulate and experiment with ideas, and for me to keep some of my perishable skills while having fun. The visibility in the community is such that if dismissed could very well cast a vast shadow over TT games. This is in my analytical opinion.

 

With that said, the best of luck to TT games. I hope they will continue running with the torch, and in their hands I hope it may burn brighter.

[Urses]

1 hour ago, ansaman said:

 KSP meets Ghost in the Shell

/insert meme

"Shut up and take my money"

I love the art and the universe by Shirow...

Hmm... "KSP X: Far future innovations"...?...!

/insert meme again

Urses 

1 hour ago, mattinoz said:

Netflix orginal series "Making History" Weekly challenges are set to recreate historic missions in human history but more Kerbal. The most kerbal version has Craft and Flight Path recorded and turned into Doco voiced by Scott Manly and John Hurt of BBC Human Planet fame.

Thus would generate many problems in future alien contacts...

"Galaxy Quest" anyone?

[WanderingKid]

I'm torn, but that's mostly because I've been banging around forever.  The old dev crew we got used to moved on.  The new crew is doing nice work, but haven't been as chatty as I got used to... or I'm just not looking in the right places anymore, certainly a possibility...  Add to that a new publisher who owns the IP now.  This is an overhaul for the entire dynamic of the continuing game.

However: I own a perfectly viable copy of a game I love, and will simply keep those zips just in case everything goes into a handbasket some day.  Until then, though, I have high hopes for this. 

(No, I only read the first four pages, so... sorry if this is a repeat of a pre-hash) What I see is this: TT continues to support the current crew as well as they can to keep the community here and in high spirits.  Somewhere in the background, while DLC is being created, the IP is being used to support the purchase and maintenance of the community with other projects.  KSP II just being one of the possibilities.  Unity 5 has enough issues and weird bugs that getting support to do their own engine from scratch to cure a lot of our weird bugs (ahem: wheels) would be worth putting up a new version of KSP alone.... and returning the investment.  That of course is quite time consuming. 

I can't see KSP as we know it today getting hosed up by TT becoming an impatient publisher.  This community is part of what they invested in when they bought the IP.  They're not going to break it on purpose, and a browsing of the boards would have been simple in their Due Diligence.  Now, AFTER they make a new version of KSP and it's entirely in their wheelhouse?  Possibly.  I just hope it doesn't go the way of a lot of the harder games out there that became dumbed down for public consumption on cell phones.

It seems the staff, publically at least, is excited by the possibilities of Take Two being behind them.  Let's support them as well as we can in that, hrm?  The sky isn't falling until you hear the sound of the aircraft engines... Or you just heard Jeb take off and the boosters are falling.

Edited June 1, 2017 by WanderingKid

[Ringkeeper]

Thanks KSP for the nice time we had together and the many hours. Congratulation for the staff, you have now nice carreer opertunities. But i don't see much hope for the game future.

 

Take-Two is not far behind Ubicrap and EA in terms of bugfree games and customer support.

Edited June 1, 2017 by Ringkeeper

[Frozen_Heart]

I think Azimech hit the nail on the head a few pages back. It is the editor that makes KSP really special and the editor that provides endless entertainment in KSP. The ability to just take a few random parts, glue them together how they were never meant to go, and set your creation loose in the universe just gives the game endless replayability that no game has had for or since.

[Spartwo]

On 2017-6-1 at 6:31 AM, mattinoz said:

Netflix orginal series "Making History" Weekly challenges are set to recreate historic missions in human history but more Kerbal. The most kerbal version has Craft and Flight Path recorded and turned into Doco voiced by Scott Manly and John Hurt of BBC Human Planet fame.

I've got some bad news about John Hurt...

Edited June 5, 2017 by Spartwo

[Eskandare]

2 minutes ago, Spartwo said:

I've got some bad news about John hurt possibly...

May he rest in piece, and shall his excellent work echo though the ages.

[T-Bouw]

Well this came as a surprise to me!

Take-Two is an industry veteran and currently has a market value that's better than it's even been (if the stock market is anything to go by).
So I'm curious to see what this combination can do for KSP!
 

Oh, and since Take-Two has a history of distributing peripherals.....OFFICIAL KSP CONTROLLER!!

[KSK]

11 hours ago, Azimech said:

Well I've said this many times before and I'll say it again: I believe the main selling point of the game is not the space thing. It's the editor, the most powerful on the market, together with the evolving physics system. Once a user is bored of space (which is not hard to imagine, space is incredibly boring, at least in this game) users either switch to another game or start to explore what else this game can do.

What else this game can do. That's the future of this product. Not flying rockets.

If that really is the future of this product then count me out. I bought into KSP for those last two letters. Fair play to those that do enjoy such things but I'm not particularly interested in boats, subs, trains, replica jet fighters and all the rest of it.

I do have a lot of respect for the artists who build working clocks, turbojets and other pieces of machinery within KSP. Again, not something that I'm that interested in (or likely have the skill and patience for) but I certainly respect that skill and patience in others.

For me KSP is all about flying rockets.

 

Edit. For clarity, I'm not particularly interested in boats etc. within the confines of the present game. I would definitely be interested in a new Kerbal Sail Program game for example but only if it had good game aspects to go with any sandbox aspects.

Edited June 1, 2017 by KSK

[The Flying Kerbal]

30 minutes ago, KSK said:

For me KSP is all about flying rockets.

Hear Hear!!

But let's all be optimistic, let's assume until proven wrong this is really gonna give our beloved little game a huge new lease of life.  I don't know enough about the gaming industry to comment on TT (or any other company), so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I WILL be downloading as a backup a completely unmodded copy of the game however, being optimistic doesn't mean I can't take out an insurance policy.

And full kudos and appreciation to everyone - past and present - at SQUAD who made this whole thing possible in the first place!

[Planetace]

*Grabs shotgun*

I don't trust big publishers, especially the guys who made some pretty big games in the past...

Also, once the squad logo is removed with two take interactive. Guess who's going to plead for a mod that replaces their logo with squads.

[Ger_space]

I'm as always late to the show, but here is my view:

After spending uncounted hours playing XCOM1&2 (Yes, sometimes  I shoot green aliens ) And seeing that they paid Pavonis Interactive (formerly Long War Studios) to create a massive mod for XCom2, which you get for free, I think that KSP will be in good hands. 

They where suprised how much XCom got modded learned that way, that this is a good thing for a game, so they opened up the APIs for XCom2 and enabled extensive modding support for it.

I have no idea for how long Squad will and can stay commited to a game they don't own anymore, I hope they will continue to develop it. (I know, that they cannot disclose parts of the contract, but this might be pretty intresting) 

Having a KSP2 with a new gameengine might open up some new posiblities, because Unity is getting abused to its limits by KSP and having multithreading support might be nice. But a KSP 2 will be at least two years in the future, because the work could only start from yesterday (or someone was pretty confident that they'll get the deal)

So for the next years to come, we have a very nice game which (I think) is in a pretty good shape and with the next expansion it will become even better. 

[Urses]

@Ger_space i would to thank you. Thus was the exemple what i was browsing for on this Thread! The most people was on the Trail T2I -> GTA but your one is the best to say, they have Experience with games with a active modder community. And LongWar is the one of the modes that let us hope for the future. If we look at it, this is a complete workaround of the maingame that only uses the game engine and generates a completly new gameexpirience! For me it works like our own GPP from @Galileo and this let me hope for the best for KSP.

And if i would be true KSP and XCOM1+2 have something common for me. Vanilla to moded 1/5 and both with around 2k+ hours...

Thanks for reminder!

Funny Kabooms 

Urses 

[ZalgoWaits]

Whole lotta Chicken Littles in this here thread. Discarded stages may be falling, but the sky isn't. Cool your jets and wait to see what actually happens before you assume the worst.