Kerbal Space Program 2 Early Access entered Steam on February 24, 2023, and has become a cautionary tale about how indefinitely a game can remain unfinished while collecting full retail prices. Two years later, the project sits frozen after its developer studio closed in 2024, with the last official update arriving in June of that year. The game costs around $45 and promises features that have never materialized, yet Steam’s Early Access policy permits this limbo to continue indefinitely.
Key Takeaways
- Kerbal Space Program 2 entered Early Access on Steam in February 2023 and remains unfinished after studio closure in 2024
- Last official update was June 2024; no development progress reported since
- Game sells for approximately $45 despite lacking core promised features like colonies and multiplayer
- Steam allows indefinite Early Access as long as developers claim they are working toward “desired quality”
- Ownership transferred to new team in January 2025, but development status remains unclear
How Kerbal Space Program 2 became a two-year stall
The project’s troubles began years before Early Access. Development started in 2017 under Take-Two Interactive, initially with Star Theory Games, then transferred to Intercept Games in 2020. Multiple delays pushed the planned 2020 release date back repeatedly due to COVID-19, staff layoffs, and eventually studio closure. When Kerbal Space Program 2 finally launched on Steam, it arrived as an incomplete product with a roadmap promising features like colonies, interstellar travel, and multiplayer—none of which have been delivered. The “For Science!” update added an Exploration Mode and Research and Development Center, but these incremental additions masked the absence of the transformative features players expected.
The studio’s closure in 2024 created a vacuum that lasted months. Steam community discussions filled with speculation and frustration as the June 2024 update became the final official communication. Players noted the irony: the game remained on sale at full price while development effectively stopped. One community member speculated that developers might rebrand an upcoming patch as version 1.0 to escape Early Access without substantive progress.
Why Steam’s Early Access policy enables this stall
Kerbal Space Program 2 Early Access persists because Steam’s rules are permissive by design. The platform allows games to remain in Early Access indefinitely as long as developers state they are working toward a “desired level of quality”. This vague standard creates no obligation to ship a finished product on any timeline. Developers can claim progress without demonstrating it, and Steam enforces no concrete milestones or deadlines. The policy assumes good faith, but good faith vanishes when a studio closes and the publisher continues selling an abandoned product.
This hands-off approach protects indie developers who genuinely need flexibility, but it also shields larger publishers like Take-Two from accountability. The game sells at premium prices—roughly $45—despite offering less content than the original Kerbal Space Program, which launched in 2015 and received years of post-release support. The original game’s success created expectations that its sequel would match that trajectory. Instead, players paid full price for an experiment that stalled before reaching basic feature parity.
Kerbal Space Program 2 Early Access faces competition from free alternatives
The game’s stagnation has created space for competitors. Kitten Space Agency, a free pre-alpha game, mimics Kerbal Space Program’s core mechanics but replaces Kerbals with kittens. While still in development, KSA is actively updating with new features like starting locations and streamlined menus, contrasting sharply with Kerbal Space Program 2’s silence. Players frustrated by KSP2’s price tag and lack of progress have migrated to free alternatives that, despite their unfinished state, show more momentum. The original Kerbal Space Program remains the more stable choice for players seeking a complete experience.
What happens next remains speculative
In January 2025, Take-Two sold the Kerbal Space Program 2 franchise to a new team composed of former Annapurna Interactive staff. This ownership shift sparked cautious optimism—new leadership might revive development. However, no official communication has clarified the new team’s plans or timeline. The game remains in Early Access with no announced release date or feature roadmap. Players are left waiting for either genuine revival or formal abandonment, both of which seem equally likely at this point.
Does Kerbal Space Program 2 deserve to stay in Early Access?
No. The game has been on sale for two years, outlived its original developer, and failed to deliver promised features. Early Access should signal active development toward a clear goal—Kerbal Space Program 2 signals abandonment masked by policy loopholes. A responsible publisher would either commit to a realistic roadmap with deadlines or move the game to a discontinued status. Keeping it listed as “Early Access” at $45 while development stalls is neither transparency nor good faith.
Will Kerbal Space Program 2 ever leave Early Access?
Unlikely in the near term. The new ownership team has not announced a development schedule or feature targets. Even if development resumes, the gap between current state and promised features (colonies, multiplayer, interstellar travel) is enormous. Early Access provides cover to avoid declaring the project a failure—as long as the label persists, the game can theoretically remain “in progress” indefinitely.
Is the original Kerbal Space Program still worth playing?
Yes. The 2015 original remains the definitive Kerbal Space Program experience, with years of post-release support, a stable feature set, and an active modding community. It is complete, affordable, and does not ask players to fund an indefinite beta. For anyone interested in the franchise, starting there is the safer choice than betting on Kerbal Space Program 2’s resurrection.
Kerbal Space Program 2 Early Access represents a failure of both developer accountability and platform oversight. Steam’s permissive Early Access rules are meant to protect small studios taking creative risks—they should not shield well-funded publishers from delivering on promises made to paying customers. Until the new ownership team demonstrates concrete progress or the game formally exits Early Access, players should treat it as a cautionary tale: Early Access is not a license to abandon a project indefinitely.
Edited by the All Things Geek team.
Source: Windows Central
