The development of Anstoss 2022 is not a good star. The game should actually be released in June 2021 and hold a beta test phase in advance. This was postponed indefinitely in January, since then the developer 2tainment has been silent. The promised update in May did not materialize, at the beginning of June there was only a mini-statement asking for the patience of the backers.
Kalypso Media is now withdrawing completely, as the publisher explains in a press release. The license rights go to 2tainment, which will now develop and publish the impulse itself in 2022.
That’s the latest negative headline. Both sides do not want to comment publicly what exactly was the trigger for Calypso’s decision. Simon Hellwig, managing director of Kalypso, simply expla ins:
“We know that we have disappointed many backers of the Kickstarter campaign and fans of Anstoss, in which we were unable to deliver a beta version in the planned time frame, and we regret this very much. But we are convinced that 2tainment will deliver a more flexible result without our cooperation We have therefore transferred the license rights for this game to 2tainment. “
Kalypso also promises a goodie to all supporters:
“As a small compensation, all Kickstarter backers will receive a free download key (GOG.com) for Kick 3 in the next few days, which Kalypso and GOG have jointly made executable for current PCs.”
Our preview of 2020 tells you everything you need to know about kick-off 2022:
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The kick-off in 2022 will be a football manager like before
Developers want to keep going
In the press release, 2tainment shows that it is willing to look ahead from now on and promises that the beta will start “in the next few weeks” and that the release will ultimately also take place – albeit at a later point in time. 2tainment managing director Stefan Weyl is optimistic:
“We respect Kalypso’s decision. For us as developers, it is now much easier to respond to the wishes of the community and to deliver the coveted impetus for 2022 to all fans. The beta version will start in the next few weeks, [wir] will consider as many ideas from the community as possible and every backer of the Kickstarter campaign will get the game in the end – even if it takes a little longer to develop. “
In particular, the turbulent last few months put the supporters on Kickstarter in an alarm mood. On the crowdfunding platform, 3,888 backers raised a sum of almost 250,000 dollars in order to realize kick-off in 2022.
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Kick-off 2022: Kickstarter trailer hides gameplay scenes
The lack of communication on the part of the developers is now causing real trouble. In the Comment column the backers choose harsh words and call for the developers to be reported to Kickstarter. So it probably takes a little more than well-intentioned promises to smooth things over in the community again.
In the meantime, the competitor We Are Football has appeared, which comes from the kick-off inventor Gerald Köhler and got off quite well in the GameStar test. Are you already playing? Then take a look at Gerald Köhler’s tips for beginners on We Are Football:
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We Are Football: The 11 Best Tips
This is what GameStar editor Peter Bathge thinks: The Kickstarter campaign for Kickoff 2022 is a tragedy and I’m really mad at those responsible right now. The communication was last under all hell: The last update from January postponed the beta, since then there have not even been excuses let alone explanations. Then news was announced for May, only to let the month pass uneventfully and finally to publish a thin statement in early June. This is not the way to jump around with your community!Especially not if they previously gave you a quarter of a million dollars for features such as national teams and half-time speeches. That there was gossip behind the scenes between 2tainment and calypso explains a lot. For football manager fans it doesn’t matter whether the developers screwed up or Kalypso is responsible for the chaotic time after the announcement – Kick-off 2022 missed its chance.
With the release of the direct competitor We Are Football, the niche seems to be served for the first time. Personally, I do not expect kick-off in 2022 until autumn 2021 at the earliest, rather later. Until then, 2tainment has to rebuild a lot of lost trust. Will that work?
