Kerbal Space Program studio is working on something new

A Kerbal — (Image credit: Private Division)

Intercept Games was founded in early 2020 to assume control of the development of Kerbal Space Program 2, which up to that point had been in development at original Kerbal studio Star Theory Games. At the time, it seemed almost like a straight name change, as "key members" of the Kerbal 2 team including former Star Theory studio head Jeremy Ables, creative director Nate Simpson, and lead producer Nate Robinson all moved to Intercept to continue working on the game.

The process hasn't gone perfectly smoothly since then, however. At the time, Kerbal Space Program 2 was slated to be out sometime before March 31, 2021, but after multiple delays it's now not expected until early 2023. It also recently came to light that while Intercept Games was formed specifically to work on Kerbal 2, it's also got another game on the go.

That project, according to a Take Two job listing, is "an unannounced stylized science-based adventure game." The listing says applicants should have a "passion for space exploration, rocketry, worldbuilding, and related entertainment media," and will be responsible for (among other things) "translat[ing] the game's visual design language into explorable worlds." Experience creating or working on "fully spherical planets," and with Unreal Engine, Gaea (which is a terrain design tool), World Creator, or World Machine, are good bonus skills to have.

Those details sound a lot like they're for a role working on KSP2, and it's possible that's the job—the listing doesn't specify. Some of the other Private Division job listings do specify that they're for KSP2, though, which could be taken as a sign that this one is for something else.

Regardless, what's noteworthy is simply that Intercept is working on something else—perhaps a Kerbal spinoff of some sort ("stylized science-based adventure" would certainly fit that bill) or possibly something completely original. And that, naturally, could lead one to wonder what impact, if any, this new project has on Kerbal 2.

One user in this September thread in the Kerbal forums, where the listing was first noticed, speculated that the listing could indicate that Kerbal 2 is far enough along that Intercept can afford to start moving developers to other things; another suggested that it might have played a role in Intercept's struggles to finish the game it was formed to create.

I've reached out to Private Division for comment and will update if I receive a reply.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.