PlayStation VR2 saw an unexpected early release for Ultrawings 2, a mission-based flight simulator, on January 25. This surprised everyone, from fans waiting for the sequel’s arrival to the developers, Bit Planet Games. While everyone had their eyes on Sony, it turned out the culprit wasn’t the platform.
Initially slated for a late 2023 launch on PSVR2, Ultrawings 2 suddenly appeared on the PlayStation Store late in the night. Many assumed this to be a surprise “shadow drop” by the developers, but Bit Planet quickly clarified that the early release was entirely unplanned. Taking to social media, the team expressed their bafflement at the situation.
Bit Planet clarified that a PSVR2 launch was indeed planned, but only on February 9. They acknowledged the presence of “relatively minor issues” in the early build, assuring players that a patch addressing them had already been submitted and would arrive within days.
The cause of the premature launch remains unclear. While some online speculation pointed towards a mistake on Sony’s part, Bit Planet maintains that they do not believe this to be the case. Kotaku asked them and they were sure because they called Sony when it happened, and even the company representatives did not understand why it released. Their own investigation suggests the possibility of an outdated release date on the PSN backend, potentially leftover from an earlier planned timeframe.
Despite the unforeseen launch, Bit Planet acknowledged the positive buzz surrounding the arrival of Ultrawings 2. It’s a great thing to get some marketing for release. However, they also expressed regret over missing out on their intended pre-launch marketing efforts.
The situation surrounding Ultrawings 2’s PSVR2 release is certainly unusual, especially because there’s no clear answer to why this happened. We’re sure this unexpected early launch will be memorable for everyone involved as Bit Planet digs deeper into the cause and deploys the promised patch.
