'Yooka-Laylee' won't come to the Wii U
A Switch port is planned, and Xbox, PlayStation and PC versions are on schedule for April.
Playtonic has announced today that its debut game Yooka-Laylee will no longer be coming to Wii U. Citing "technical difficulties" the studio says it will now release the anticipated platformer on the Nintendo Switch. Playtonic also announced a release date for the other platforms, with the game launching on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 11th 2017.
With Nintendo's new system just around the corner, it comes as little surprise that Playtonic has shifted its focus away from the aging Wii U. Stardew Valley developer Chucklefish Games recently made a similar decision, moving the expected Wii U version to the Switch.
As Yooka-Laylee started life as a Kickstarter project, however, many fans have already put down the cash for the Wii U version. In a bid to appease them, Playtonic has offered these backers the chance to exchange it for its PC, PS4 or Xbox One counterpart on April 11th. Alternatively, those who pledged for a Wii U copy can choose to "upgrade" it to its Switch version, suggesting that backers may have to pay an additional fee to do so.
With Yooka-Laylee developed by a team made up of Rare alumni (a studio which made its name on Nintendo platforms) the news will surely come as a disappointment to many backers. More will be revealed about Playtonic's plans for the game's Switch release early next year.
Non-backers can now pre-order the game for $39.99 (£34.99) considerably more than the $24 (£15) Kickstarter backers originally paid. Let's hope we hear more details about Yooka-Laylee on the platform during Nintendo's January 12th Switch presentation.
