Indivisible publisher 505 Games says release tool mishap caused surprise launch

Indivisible publisher 505 Games has explained how the title managed to launch on the Switch without it or developer Lab Zero Games' knowledge. 

Earlier this week, project lead Mike Zaimont revealed the game had launched digitally on the Switch in North America. The kicker? The dev team had no idea until people started congratulating them on Twitter. 

"Feel like you missed the [launch] announcement? You're not alone, our team found out because people on Twitter sent us congratulations! I had no idea! But there it is," wrote Zaimont. 

"The Switch version of Indivisible itself is great, the porting group did seriously excellent work! Runs at a stable framerate, even handheld. However, the old build that was apparently now released doesn't have co-op, NG+, or anything else recent. I checked myself.

"No release date announcement, no lead-up PR at all. It's missing current features like co-op. The eShop art is the wrong image. This launch does not represent the quality standards of Lab Zero.  It just doesn't.  I'm sorry.  It wasn't us."

So, what went wrong? According to 505 Games, the game had initially been scheduled to launch on Switch on April 28, but that date was pushed back until May to allow for a Day 1 update. 

For some reason, however, the revised launch date didn't get changed within the release tool, resulting in the title going live ahead of schedule and catching both developer and publisher off guard. 

"April 28th was the original launch date for Indivisible on Switch. The build had passed QA and submission checks and was approved for release by all parties," wrote the publisher. "Everything was set to automatically go live on that date. The build released was the planned launch build of the game. 

"A decision was made to delay the launch to early May to allow for a Day 1 update. This update will add a framerate toggle option, 1080 docked support, Roti, performance updates and localization changes when it goes live in May.

"Unfortunately, the new launch date did not get changed within the release tool. This resulted in the game going live yesterday to the surprise of everyone involved, including 505 Games."

The early launch means Indiegogo backers have yet to receive their digital keys, although 505 has reassured those affected that it's working to send them out as quickly as possible. It has also warned backers of the physical edition to expect delays due to manufacturing and shipping issues worldwide.