Indie Devs Struggle to Update Console Ports After Humble Games Layoffs

Stunning new Metroidvania was released days before layoffs at publisher Humble Games. It says developers are now in a difficult situation when it comes to updating the console ports.

Days after its latest game was released, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus publisher Humble Games faced mass layoffs, leaving developer Squid Shock Studios entirely without support for console ports.

Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, a whimsical Metroidvania inspired by Japanese folklore, launched on July 17, the week before its publisher, Humble Games, was affected by layoffs. Indie devs like Squid Shock Studios, the mastermind behind Bo, are now struggling to take care of console updates and QA support as these fell under the publisher's responsibilities. A new announcement from Squid Shock Studios addresses the issue and what's to come.

Squid Shock Studios expressed their pride in the launch and gratitude for the feedback, but also acknowledged the challenges they faced. They revealed that the sudden mass layoffs at Humble Games, which laid off all 36 team members, had completely taken them by surprise.

Squid Shock Studios elaborated that the layoffs delivered a critical to their post-launch support. The team now faces a challenging situation regarding the updating of console ports, as both console porting and QA support were integral to their agreement with Humble. They are actively pursuing all available avenues to get updates out for console copies, though it may take some time to implement.

Despite potential delays, Squid Shock Studios assures fans of Bo that all updates and fixes will eventually come to consoles. The circumstances are reminiscent of Coral Island's uncertain future on consoles due to the Humble Games layoffs, with the fellow indie dev even leaving a comment on Squid Shock Studios' post, expressing solidarity with saluting emojis. Hopefully, both teams find a way through the setbacks so console and PC players alike can enjoy the games.