How can the steam page still advertise features as in development when the studio is closing?

[Niklas123]

The argument that you are buying an early access product based on its current state has been gone over endlessly in the past weeks. This is a seperate issue in my eyes.

 

We know the studio is closing. How can the store page still advertise features as in development when that is clearly false?

It's been almost two months since the WARN, but during this time nobody has bothered to change anything on the KSP2 store page.

 

[Stevie_D]

That's probably because, until the 28th, which will be their last day on the job , people are still working at Intercept Games, even if the game is about to die. Their last duty will probably be to update the store page. If not, then after the 28th that's when it will become 100% fraudulent and misleading to customers. 

[R-T-B]

Yeah, but they can't deliver that timeline even if Jebbidiah Kerman himself were working there (actually especially if that were the case, come to think of it).

[Infinite Aerospace]

6 hours ago, Stevie_D said:

That's probably because, until the 28th, which will be their last day on the job , people are still working at Intercept Games, even if the game is about to die. Their last duty will probably be to update the store page. If not, then after the 28th that's when it will become 100% fraudulent and misleading to customers. 

This is probably where Take Two will go down the 2K Marin and claim it's still operating, just without premises or developers. It's perhaps one of the main reasons we've heard nothing from 'official channels' regarding the games fate. But it would be fraudulent at that point I agree.

[HebaruSan]

TTWO is reportedly shopping around for a buyer for the franchise IP. If that effort succeeds, the new owner could conceivably decide to continue following the original roadmap. Both of those 'if's are probably pretty unlikely, but that's one possible reason for not jumping the gun on updating the store page until things have settled down.

[mc04]

they've been lying for the entire existence of this game, why stop now? it's not like anybody's gonna get them for false advertising or something - all you need to get out of that is some microprint to the effect of 'actually I was crossing my fingers behind my back when I said that so none of those promises count.'

[EvilBroccoli]

you don´t get it... T2 (unless they can get rid of the IP) will NEVER CONFIRM that the game is "canceled".... why? it opens the gate to legal action...

 

So the game will stay in forever limbo with a minimal skeleton crew (part time devs) pushing some minor fixes and keeping minimal comms until no one cares anymore.... or they sell the IP

[Biggen]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/954850/Kerbal_Space_Program_2/
 

No one can give us updates on the future of the project or if it’s even still alive, yet, they can take the time to include it in the summer sale to continue drawing revenue from it. 
 

WOW. That’s pretty dirty.

Edited June 28 by Biggen

[Tony Tony Chopper]

That's just doomscrolling at this point. I know it, you know it, everybody else knows it. Steam won't take the game off without good economical or legal reasons as they benefit very big from every single sale. Also, KSP2 reviews are bad enough to act as a red flag by now and every new buyer has his rights on refunds. Go into the Steam forum once and you're informed. Fair enough.

[joratto]

A permanent, significant sale would be good

[Kerbart]

"Recent events and announcements: june 11, 0.2.2.0 update"

At the very least a fortunate side effect of the final update for Intercept is that it looks like "it's being worked on" for a few more months. I almost wonder if that was an intended effect. On the other hand I cannot imagine that it would generate that much additional sales, but then again they'll see it as revenue otherwise not collected.

With "overwhelming negative" reviews, anyone who still buys the game has to blame it on themselves.

 

[mc04]

get it now, the price will go up as they add features! if you're not buying it on sale, you're just wasting money because you will buy it later!

[The Aziz]

"disgusting" it doesn't hurt anyone who already bought it, and those who haven't have the whole internet's worth of opinions on the discounted product in question. If anyone in this day and age is making blind purchases, that's on them.

[Scarecrow71]

14 minutes ago, The Aziz said:

"disgusting" it doesn't hurt anyone who already bought it, and those who haven't have the whole internet's worth of opinions on the discounted product in question. If anyone in this day and age is making blind purchases, that's on them.

I think the sentiment is that people are disgusted that TT is trying to get one last breath's worth of money out of this before it goes the way of the dodo, after having not given any information on the game or its future (although we all know/assume it's dead).  I think that's what people find disgusting, not that the game is still available.

I do agree that anyone who purchases the game at this point is just blind.  Reviews are available, news is available (what little there is), the forum is still up and running, Reddit hasn't gone anywhere.  You buy this unpolished lump of organic matter at this point and you are just throwing money away.

[Fizzlebop Smith]

I have only been back into the gaming world fpr 2.5 years.

I seem to recall a lot of games dropping a sale of some sort before the 1.0 push.

This would align with what several have been saying about that rubber stamp...

Not sure if that's the case.. an attempt for one last spike in "units ssold for the spreadsheets.

[lBoBl]

Well yes, the reviews are overwhelmingly negative, very few people are actually going to buy it probably, but then there's the fact that they haven't updated the steam store information at all. The game is still being sold as an Early Access game, there is a whole section regarding early acces that still includes this :

Quote

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“KSP 2 will stay in Early Access until we feel that the game and its full feature set are at our desired level of quality. Check out our roadmap above for our planned feature releases and make sure to follow our social channels for further information on timing of updates.”

and this :

Quote

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We expect the price of KSP 2 to increase once all of the planned features are added by the 1.0 release.”

and plenty of other things that strongly imply that the game is actively being worked on when the reality is, as we know, very different.

This is clearly false advertising at this point, they know what they are selling, they know it doesn't match their description. And it's not like "red bull gives you wings" where the audience is expected to understand that an energy drink won't literally cause wings to grow out of your back, this is rational, believable information that might make you spend 40 euros or dollars or whatever and come to regret it once you realize that you have been lied to.

It is just dirty from them to refuse to acknowledge that the game is dead and to actively pretend that it's being worked on. They still haven't updated their socials, they haven't made any kind of announcement here on the forums, and today is the day the last devs are getting laid off. Their policy has been to keep everyone from talking and pretend like nothing's happening, they're acting like the bloody KGB "containing the spread of misinformation", there will probably never be any public acknowledgement that the project is terminated and yes, I agree that this is disgusting.

Edited June 28 by lBoBl

[Vanamonde]

Overlapping threads have been merged. 

[Skorj]

Last we heard, T2 is shopping for a buyer for PD, so T2 can just claim "we're hoping the future owner of the IP carries it forward" until either it's the new PD's problem, or everyone has forgotten about it.

Edited June 28 by Skorj

[PDCWolf]

5 minutes ago, Skorj said:

Last we heard, T2 is shopping for a buyer for PD, so T2 can just claim "we're hoping the future owner of the IP carries it forward" until either it's the new PD's problem, or everyone has forgotten about it.

I doubt anyone would look to just buy PD when KSP2 is a heavy anchor. Whoever were to buy PD needs to either eat up the cancellation hate, or be the one going out to seek a new studio... It's a lose-lose.

[Skorj]

On 6/28/2024 at 6:27 PM, PDCWolf said:

I doubt anyone would look to just buy PD when KSP2 is a heavy anchor. Whoever were to buy PD needs to either eat up the cancellation hate, or be the one going out to seek a new studio... It's a lose-lose.

The thing about taking over a clearly failed project: you're a hero if you fix it, and it's merely expected if you don't.  Though if I bought PD I'd say "sorry all, the KSP2 code is unfixable, see you in a few years with KSP3."  Everyone would be excited again with a few years' distance.

[Kerbal Engineering Systems]

Alright it's the day after and the store page hasn't changed. Damn. 

[PDCWolf]

1 hour ago, Skorj said:

The thing about taking over a clearly failed project: you're a hero if you fix it, and it's merely expected if you don't.  Though if I bought PD I'd say "sorry all, the KSP2 code is unfixable, see you in a few years with KSP3."  Everyone would be excited again with a few years' distance.

Considering there's no mythical "official announcement" yet, whoever would get it next still has that responsibility, and if they buy PD, they might not even be interested in KSP at all anyways.

[Superfluous J]

2 hours ago, Kerbal Engineering Systems said:

Alright it's the day after and the store page hasn't changed. Damn. 

Old and busted: Current player count.

New hotness: "Days without changing the store page" counter.

[PDCWolf]

10 hours ago, Superfluous J said:

Old and busted: Current player count.

New hotness: "Days without changing the store page" counter.

You're wrong, the new one is "have the depots been updated?" though we've gotta wait at least till tomorrow for that.

[Superfluous J]

14 minutes ago, PDCWolf said:

You're wrong, the new one is "have the depots been updated?" though we've gotta wait at least till tomorrow for that.

Truth. I think we as a community are really branching out.