Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus console updates may be delayed due to Humble layoffs, developer warns

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus - the gorgeous 2.5D platformer with Metroidvania elements based on Japanese folklore - released earlier this month across PC and consoles. However, due to its partnership with Humble Games, developer Squid Shock says it has faced a number of unexpected stumbling blocks since release, notably with its console ports.

In a recent post shared on Steam, Squid Shock acknowledged the "unexpected changes" within Humble Games, after layoffs were confirmed at the indie publisher, and said it was still unsure what was happening next.

"This news caught us off guard, and we are still working to understand the full implications," the Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus team wrote on 25th July.

At this time, the studio said while Squid Shock is a separate entity to Humble Games, and it remains committed to both Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus and its community, the changes at the publisher could result in delays for updates, particularly on consoles.

"This is mainly due to issues with storefront accessibility, which we're actively working to resolve as quickly as possible," Squid Shock said last week.

In a further post on social media platform X shared last night, the developer called the recent layoffs a "critical blow" to Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus' post-launch support. It then elaborated further on updates for console versions of the game.

"We are now in a difficult situation when it comes to updating the console ports, as both Porting and QA Support was tied into our deal with Humble," it wrote. "We are actively pursuing all available avenues to allow us to roll out updates to console versions, but we regret to say this may take some time to put in place."

Squid Shock said it "will get this resolved", and will continue to work on updates for the PC version of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus. "We want to assure you that these updates and fixes will come to consoles in the future," the team wrote.

In a subsequent reply to one commenter, who said they were refraining from purchasing the game on PS5 due to past issues with 7 Days to Die, Squid Shock said this was a different situation.

"We will get backend access. They just haven't done the transfer yet," it affirmed.

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is not the only game to suffer from collateral damage following the layoffs at Humble. Last week, Coral Island developer Stairway Games blamed the recent layoffs for leaving console versions of its game "in a place of uncertainty". Switch backers are now being offered a key change to Steam, effective immediately.

As for Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, I was rather enamoured with it when I gave the demo a go earlier this year. You can read more in my Wishlisted feature: Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus' demo reminded me of the sanctity of tea.