One year after its launch, Kerbal Space Program 2 faced criticism for being released in a buggy and underdeveloped state, leading to a drop in player base and negative reception. Despite a major update introducing science gameplay, ongoing technical issues such as bugs, performance problems, and graphical inefficiencies have hindered the game’s success and player engagement compared to its predecessor, raising concerns about the rushed release and the need for further development and optimization efforts.
The video discusses the state of Kerbal Space Program 2 one year after its launch. The game was highly anticipated but was released in a buggy and underdeveloped state, disappointing players with its performance issues and lack of polish. The initial negative reception led to a significant drop in the player base, affecting even the original Kerbal game. The developers, Intercept Games, faced criticism for releasing a full-priced game that did not meet expectations, resembling more of an Early Access title than a finished product.
Despite the rocky start, the developers released a major update towards the end of 2023, introducing science gameplay in a different format. This update briefly attracted players back to the game, but the player counts quickly dropped again, indicating ongoing issues with player retention. The video delves into technical aspects such as bugs, performance, and graphical optimization, highlighting persistent problems with the game’s rendering processes and GPU bottlenecking. The lack of simple optimization techniques like occlusion culling raised concerns about the game’s graphical inefficiencies.
Comparisons are drawn between Kerbal Space Program 2 and its predecessor, with the former falling short in terms of features and performance. The video acknowledges that the science update was a step in the right direction, leading to more positive Steam reviews and higher average player numbers. However, the game still lags behind Kerbal 1 in terms of content and player engagement. The roadmap published by the developers suggests that more updates are on the way, but questions remain about whether they can deliver on time and address the game’s shortcomings effectively.
The video raises the issue of whether it was worth releasing Kerbal Space Program 2 in its unfinished state, considering the negative impact it had on the franchise’s reputation and player base. The decision to rush the game’s release for financial reasons is criticized, as it led to an uphill battle for the developers to regain player trust and interest. Despite the challenges, there is optimism that the game can redeem itself through quality content updates and improvements. The video concludes with a plea for the developers to prioritize the game’s development and address key issues like performance optimization to ensure the success and longevity of Kerbal Space Program 2.
