The uncertain future of Kerbal Space Program Forum. With Private Division sold, what does this mean for the franchise
The Kerbal Space Program forum is down, and fans are wondering if this is connected to the sale of its publisher in 2024. A new team of former Annapurna Interactive employees may now be in charge of the KSP franchise.
Kerbal Space Program might be more than a decade old, but things are looking a bit shaky lately. With events around its publisher, Private Division, fans are now worried about the forum. It’s basically the heart of the community, so when technical issues started, people got understandably nervous. But now, it seems the site is completely down, which is a major red flag. Could this be the fallout from a corporate drama?
The downfall of Kerbal Space Program 2
Just a quick reminder of what happened with Kerbal Space Program 2 – a game that was supposed to be a worthy successor to the first KSP but turned into a disaster that fans are now stuck with:
- The trouble began when Take-Two Interactive, owner of the Private Division label, pulled the project from Star Theory Games, poached much of its team to form Intercept Games, and left Star Theory to shut down. To make things worse, they forced Intercept to use outdated code and limited experienced hires, causing major technical issues for Kerbal Space Program 2.
- When KSP2 hit Early Access in 2023, it came with a hefty price tag but lacked many of KSP1's features. It was also riddled with bugs. Players dealt with crashes, unstable physics, and missing gameplay elements. The community was not happy, and the negative reviews started piling up.
- In 2024, things got worse when Take-Two announced it was shutting down Intercept Games. This caused even more backlash, with KSP2's Steam reviews nosediving. Later that year, Take-Two sold off its Private Division label, which included KSP2, to an unknown buyer.
- In January 2025, new news emerged, revealing that Take-Two Interactive had sold Private Division to a private equity firm called Havi Investments. However, by that point, Take-Two had already stripped Private Division down to just contracts and intellectual property. To manage these, Havi teamed up with former Annapurna Interactive employees to form a new company, which may now handle the publishing and development of titles, including Kerbal Space Program 2.
But the details about what will happen to the Kerbal Space Program franchise are still unknown. The new company will likely focus more on upcoming titles that were previously under Private Division, such as Tales of the Shire, which is set to release this March.
Is the KSP forum shut down for good?
KSP forum has had trouble staying online consistently, and seven months ago, a concerning moderator’s update was posted on Reddit:
Folks, we’re in a very unsettled traditional situation. Most or perhaps all of our parent companies’ staff have been laid off. We do not know what the new management’s intentions are for the game and for the forum.
They also mentioned that the forum could be shut down at any time, possibly without warning. Unfortunately, that has now become a reality. Over the years, the site has gathered a wealth of content, from troubleshooting to mod support. Losing all of this would be a significant blow if it's lost forever. Let’s hope that, like in previous cases, the forums are just down due to technical issues and will eventually be restored.
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