Take-Two forms new studio for KSP2, with original developer’s role unclear

Take-Two has formed a new wholly-owned studio to continue the development of Kerbal Space Program 2.

The as-yet-named company has been founded in Seattle, Washington and will exist underneath Take-Two’s Private Division label.

Kerbal Space Program 2 was announced last year under developer Star Theory, which is also based in Seattle and totally independent from Take-Two.

On Thursday it was confirmed that key members of Star Theory’s original KSP2 team, such as studio head Jeremy Ables and creative director Nate Simpson, have moved over to the new company and will continue their work on the sequel.

It’s not yet clear if Star Theory will continue to be involved with KSP2, which is set to release during Take-Two’s fiscal year 2021 (beginning April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021).

VGC has requested comment from Private Division.

UPDATE: A Private Division Spokesperson told VGC: “The decision to open our own studio and move development in-house allows us to provide the development team with the necessary time and resources to complete development of KSP 2 at the quality level we all want to deliver our players.

“Our goal – and the goal of our developers – is to provide our community with the highest level gaming experience with Kerbal Space Program 2.”

ORIGINAL STORY CONTINUES: Private Division boss Michael Worosz said in a statement:

“Since we acquired Kerbal Space Program in 2017, we have consistently produced, high-quality content for our community, which in turn has resulted in strong growth, both in terms of new players engaging with the franchise, and our ambitions to take it to the next level.

“The opening of this new studio, whose purpose is dedicated solely to the ongoing development of KSP, is a reinforcement of our promise to bring the best experiences to our fans and players for Kerbal Space Program 2 and beyond.”

In November Take-Two delayed the release of Kerbal Space Program 2 from its current financial year to its next one beginning in April 2020.

“Kerbal Space Program 2, the sequel to the beloved original space sim, is now planned for launch on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in fiscal 2021, in order to allow more time to make the experience as terrific as possible,” Take-Two president Karl Slatoff said during the company’s second quarter earnings call.

VGC interviewed Kerbal Space Program 2 creative director Nate Simpson in August 2019.