Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus – the gorgeous 2.5D platformer with Metroidvania elements based on Japanese folklore – released earlier this year across PC and consoles. However, soon after its debut, its publisher Humble Games faced “restructuring” at the company, resulting in layoffs. (Eurogamer and Humble Games share a parent compamy, IGN Entertainment.)
This had a knock-on effect for the game’s developer Squid Shock. Soon after news broke about layoffs at Humble, Squid Shock assured its community it remained committed to Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, but the changes at the publisher could result in delays for updates, particularly on consoles.
“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,” Squid Shock wrote in July. “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.”
Thankfully, a solution has evidently been found. Last night, Squid Shock shared an update on social media platform X, calling the recent ordeal a “long and arduous journey”.
“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,” it wrote. “But today, we’re relieved and excited to tell you that we’ve overcome those obstacles. We’re thrilled to announce that the patches for Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus on Xbox X/S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch are now live!”
These patches will address a number of general issues across Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus’ console versions, including bug fixes and gameplay improvements.
“It’s a testament to the dedication and resilience of our team that, despite everything, we’ve been able to bring these crucial updates to you,” Squid Shock continued. “Our greatest hope is that these improvements bring you closer to the experience we always intended for Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus. We want you to know how much your support means to us, and we’re overjoyed to be able to continue this journey together.
“Thank you for standing by us through thick and thin.”
Earlier this month, Squid Shock set up a Patreon to support Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus “in these uncertain times”. At this time, Squid Shock said whilst it did not fault the team’s work, the changes at Humble “have meant we have missed out on critical post-launch support, which may put our studio’s future at risk”.
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.
