Windjammers 2, Dotemu’s follow-up to 1994’s frisbee-sports cult hit Windjammers by Data East, has been delayed to 2021, Dotemu announced Thursday on Twitter.
The studio attributed the delay to the need to polish Windjammers 2’s online multiplayer component and address player feedback from a demo released during the Steam Summer Game Festival in June. The game is in development on Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC.
“This decision is a tough one and it has serious consequences for all of us, but we think it’s fair enough if it allows us to give you the Windjammers 2 you expect and you deserve,” the developers said in a statement.
Important update about #Windjammers2 development. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/RKQky0kKdu
— Dotemu (@Dotemu) December 10, 2020
The original Windjammers was a hit on the Neo Geo, giving fans of that arcade system a fast-paced, air hockey-type game played on a court between two players throwing a flying disc. Dotemu ported the first game to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in 2017, and then to the Nintendo Switch in 2018.
“Windjammers 2 is an ambitious project that we love and that we cannot ruin with wrong decisions that could jeopardize its quality,” the developers said.
Windjammers 2 was announced at PAX West 2018. Dotemu is the studio behind another revival of a beloved 1990s console franchise — Streets of Rage 4, which launched in April on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One to wide critical acclaim.