Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus launched to generally solid reviews on July 18, but those playing the hand-drawn action platformer on consoles will have to wait longer for any post-launch updates. Developer Squid Shock Studios revealed that last week’s sudden closure of publisher Humble Games has adversely affected its ability to provide timely support to those versions of the game.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Squid Shock Studios states that Humble Games’ apparent closure last week, which saw its entire 36-person staff laid off by owner Ziff Davis in what it calls a “restructuring,” has adversely affected its ability to provide post-launch support for the console versions of Bō. The studio states that this is due to the game’s porting and QA support being tied to its deal with Humble. The PC version doesn’t appear to be affected, with the studio currently working on updates for that version. Here’s Squid Shock Studios’ full statement:
We want to give you an update on Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus. We’re really proud of how the launch went and it has been great hearing all of your feedback on our game.
That being said, our launch hasn’t been without its challenges. Most of you will know that our publisher, Humble Games, has effectively shut down, laying off all 35 team members. This took us completely by surprise and, for a small development team like us, it was a critical blow to our post-launch support.
We are now in a difficult situation when it comes to updating the console ports, as both Porting and QA Support was tied into our deal with Humble. We are actively pursuing all available avenues to allow us to roll out updates to console versions, but we regret to say this may take some time to put in place.
We just want to reassure players that we will get this resolved. We are working on updates for the PC version and we want to assure you that these updates and fixes will come to consoles in the future.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Given the number of games Humble published, both released and upcoming, this likely isn’t the only game or studio to have this kind of wrench thrown into the works due to the sudden layoffs. If you’re planning on picking up Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, PC seems like the best way to go for the foreseeable future.
Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is inspired by Japanese folklore, with players controlling a warrior named Bō who descends from Heaven to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Armed with his shapeshifting Bō staff, players traverse a dreamlike, Metroidvania-inspired world battling monsters. Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.
