Acclaimed Metroidvania studio finally gets to celebrate its update launch after its publisher's demise led to uncertainty over the game's future

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, a stunning 2.5D Metroidvania inspired by Japanese mythology, received crucial updates despite the recent closure of its publisher, Humble Games, with developer Squid Shock Studios successfully launching patches for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, the stunning 2.5 Metroidvania inspired by Japanese mythology, just received new updates despite the fact that its publisher completely closed down a week after its launch.

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus was actually the final release that boutique publisher Humble Games put out before its corporate owner Ziff Davis abruptly laid off all staff, letting its upcoming slate of games be managed by an unnamed third party. Developers who had both released and upcoming games signed with the publisher also reacted with shock, as many found out about the shutdown along with the general public. 

At the time, developer Squid Shock Studios said that post-launch development on Bō would continue unchanged and it seems to have stuck with that promise. 

"Dear Bommunity," the studio recently tweeted, "After a long and arduous journey, there were moments when it felt like we might not make it. The challenges we've faced over the past month were beyond anything we could have anticipated, leading to disruptions in our porting, QA, and console submission pipelines."

pic.twitter.com/EinMhZGHftAugust 29, 2024

"But today, we're relieved and excited to tell you that we've overcome those obstacles," it continues, "We're thrilled to announce that the patches for Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch are now live!" The updates bring "a host of bug fixes, gameplay improvements, and quality-of-life features that we've created based on your feedback during the first month."

Squid Shock Studios calls the feat "a testament to the dedication and resilience of our team that, despite everything, we've been able to bring these crucial updates to you. Our greatest hope is that these improvements bring you closer to the experience we always intended for Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus." Since the developer no longer has the backing of a publisher, it's instead opted to start a Patreon.

From what I can tell, Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus already courted tons of praise and admiration - even before its new updates smoothed things even further - as the game's user reviews are 'Very Positive' on Steam with many gushing over its lush, painterly art and fluid movement.

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