2:12 Cancels Twinsen's Little Big Adventure Reboot

[T0@st]

Ben Limare, CEO at 2.21: "Dear friends and supporters, I'm tasked with sharing a disappointing update. Despite our earnest efforts, we were unsuccessful in securing a publisher for the reboot of Twinsen's Little Big Adventure.

What's the path forward? With a heavy heart, we've halted our work on the reboot and, for the moment, regard the project as canceled. This allows us to channel our focus and energy into the remastered version of Twinsen's Little Big Adventure (TLBA Remastered). We will explore whether we can reincorporate the reboot's ideas into the remaster, but that's a conversation for another time."




Why did this happen? Allow me to distill the key reasons:

• Genre Constraints: The market for standalone action-adventure games presents substantial challenges. With fierce competition and a lack of community-oriented features, publishers tend to shy away from this genre.
• IP Recognition: Despite a passionate, albeit small, community of fans, Twinsen's Little Big Adventure isn't globally recognized, which added to the hesitations of potential publishers.
• Cost and Scale: While indie game studios can often deliver remarkable games with lean teams (as we've seen with Death's Door and Tunic), our vision for this project involved a team of 15 to 20 people, echoing the original game's size. This considerable investment, juxtaposed with the risk inherent to the genre and IP, was a factor in the decision.

What does this mean for our team? Regrettably, we are reducing our team size. Letting dedicated members go is a tough and painful part of this process, but it's a decision driven by our current circumstances.

So, what's the next step? We're exploring two main avenues for TLBA Remastered: finding a suitable publisher or self-publishing. The rationale for seeking a publisher for the remaster aligns with that of the reboot, but the substantially lower cost offers a compelling difference. We will know more in the coming weeks. For the self-publishing route, we will need additional funds (Patreon?) and are considering collaboration with another studio.



You may wonder if these challenges have dampened our spirits or diminished our motivation. I assure you, it's quite the opposite! Our confidence is buoyed by the phenomenal feedback from our recent playtest. With 4000 participants and 2000 detailed feedback forms, we're immensely grateful. A remarkable 33% of you rated the experience a 9 or 10/10, and 80% scored us a 7 or higher. We're excited to improve and grow from this constructive feedback.

The future of Twinsen hangs in the balance over the next few weeks. Rest assured, we are wholly committed to turning the tide.

Thank you for your understanding and unwavering support.
Best regards,

• Ben

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[neatfeatguy]

That's a shame. Was a fun game. I've long since lost the physical copy of the game (was included with a bunch of free games for a HP computer my step-dad purchased in '96 or so), but I got a copy of it on GoG should I ever feel the need to relive it.

 

[OverZerg]

Didn't aware there is a plan to reboot series, but could be interesting without limitations of original game. Playing beta was nice, but I found controls feels outdated, even I believe it was actually updated, but still feels too limited nowadays. Anyway would be interesting to see what they got in the end )

 

[LabRat 891]

No relation to Little Big Planet?
Yeah, I can see their problem:

Despite a passionate, albeit small, community of fans, Twinsen's Little Big Adventure isn't globally recognized, which added to the hesitations of potential publishers.

If I immediately associate this IP with
Media Molecule (2008-2014)/SCE Cambridge Studio (2009)/Supermassive Games (2010)/XDev (2010-2012)/Double Eleven (2012)/Tarsier Studios (2012)/United Front Games (2012)/San Diego Studio (2012)/Firesprite (2014)/Sumo Digital (2014-2020)/Exient Entertainment (2023)'s
"LittleBigPlanet" IP, then I could see publishers shying away.

Shame, really. Twinsen's Little Big Adventure was made long before LBP.

Sadly, it doesn't change the fact the verbiage is now well-associated with a Sony IP.
(Kinda like if Kleenex had left the industry years ago, then Procter & Gamble decided to make a new TP brand called CleanX, followed by Kimberly-Clark trying to get back into making Kleenex facial tissues again)

 

[Chry]

I'm not sure these games need a reboot. The originals are still very nice to play, especially LBA2.

 

[yannus1]

From what I had seen of the reboot, it's a wise decision. A good remaster is a much better choice than a reboot lacking the necessary amount of creativity and efforts.