by theygamesJust like many real life space missions, Kerbal Space Program 2 has faced a long series of delays getting off the ground – but now there’s an official Kerbal Space Program 2 release date. The space simulation game will enter Early Access on February 24, 2023, and developer Intercept Games says players will see major additions and upgrades to the game throughout that phase of development.
“One way I can tell that this thing is ready for Early Access is that we can’t stop playing it,” says creative director Nate Simpson, in a new featurette video announcing the Early Access launch. “We’ve had to set up a new internal Slack channel to keep track of all the creations everyone’s making in their free time.”
While Kerbal Space Program 2 retains a lot of the fundamentals of the original’s rocket-building and space exploration, the scale has been massively increased to allow not just interstellar travel, but also a lot more freedom to creatively tune parts and settings in spacecraft and other vehicles.
Early Access is an ideal fit for Kerbal Space Program 2, Simpson observes, since the game has always been about trial and error.
“For us, failure is not only an option, it’s absolutely mandatory,” he says wryly as the video opens. “We’re going to fail out loud. There’s nothing more Kerbal than that, actually.”
That said, Intercept says players can expect major additions and enhancements to Kerbal Space Program 2 over the course of Early Access. The idea, Simpson says, is to establish a firm foundation with community validation at each step along the way.
When it enters Early Access February 24, you’ll be able to buy Kerbal Space Program for $49.99 USD (or your regional equivalent) on Steam, the Epic Games Store, or DRM-free directly from publisher Private Division.