Yooka Laylee – April 2017 Release, New Trailer, Wii U Version Scrapped & Switch Port Announced

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This morning was a big update for the Playtonic Games Yooka-Laylee, as a lot of information released on the project. Lets start with the first thing; a new trailer released showing off a casino level. This looks quite large and it appears the rolling ability will have a ‘dash’ function if you charge it up, which is a nice feature I think could open up level design. Kartos is present in this level too, so we can expect mine-cart level hi-jinks to be present here.
The major news though is a release date and special playable demo for not just PC users but PS4 & Xbox One users as well! Below is Playtonic’s official press release about this information.

Today we can finally confirm that Yooka-Laylee will launch on April 11, 2017 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac and Linux, with pre-orders now available at £34.99 / $39.99 / €39.99 for non-Kickstarter backers in both digital and physical formats from all participating stores worldwide!
As an extra special bonus, everyone who pre-orders Yooka-Laylee on PC, Xbox One or PS4 will receive an instant unlock of the Yooka-Laylee Toybox, which offers a taste of the platforming mechanics set to appear in the full game in a self-contained, spoiler free sandbox. We’re also currently looking in to ways we can make the console Toybox available to appropriate backers (we’ll update you on that soon). On Steam and GOG.com, you’ll also find special Digital Deluxe versions of Yooka-Laylee which include a digital soundtrack and manual / art book.
Kickstarter backers will soon be able to upgrade their pledge to a physical version, but we need a little bit longer to finalise the method. Our priority is to make sure that physical backers receive their game as soon as possible and not weeks late, so we want to make sure we choose the right distribution method before taking your pledges. Don’t worry: as soon as upgrades are ready we’ll email all backers via Kickstarter.

So the game is set for launch on April 11th , 2017 for the PS4, Xbox One and PC with the Toy-Box Demo that released to PC backers releasing on consoles the moment pre-orders are live (same for PC as well). That is a really cool way to continue excitement for the project, as the toy-box was a very large level to mess around with.
For Nintendo owners, you got either good or bad news depending on how you view things. The Wii U version of the game is sadly scrapped. Below is Playtonic’s Official statement on the matter.

After many challenging months, we’re finally able to update you on the Wii U version of Yooka-Laylee and announce a number of developments. The Playtonic team is sad to confirm that despite our best efforts and exploring every possible avenue, we’ve encountered unforeseen technical issues that unfortunately mean it will be impossible for us to release the game on Wii U as initially planned.
Nintendo Switch
Soon to see 80% increase in nonsense puns. We can however confirm the exciting news that we are now working very closely with Nintendo to look to bring Yooka-Laylee to the upcoming Nintendo Switch. We’re looking forward to exploring the opportunity and will have more details to share early next year.
We’d like to apologize to those affected by this development and offer all Wii U backers the opportunity to move their pledge free-of-charge to any of the versions launching on April 11th (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac or Linux) or upgrade to the Nintendo Switch version when we announce further details in 2017. Information on how backers can change their formats will arrive in January, once we’ve finalized the smoothest possible solution. For more details on our platform change, we’ve prepared a Yooka-Laylee Wii U FAQ page.
The Playtonic team thank you for your continued support and understanding on this issue and hope you look forward to future developments on the Nintendo front. We hope, in the fullness of time, we can make Nintendo platforms a great place to experience Yooka-Laylee – and beyond.

So they moved the title to the Nintendo Switch after technical issues popped up when developing the game on the Wii U. It is a shame to hear this, as I’m sure Wii U owners would have loved to play the game. But with the game now releasing on the upcoming Nintendo Switch platform and getting assistance from Nintendo in bringing the game to the console, it benefits from portability, becoming one of the first 3D platformers for the sytem and hopefully becoming an even better experience. With Playtonic also working with Backers to upgrade to another system free of charge, it shows how the studio cares are making it’s Nintendo backers happy.
Overall, today is a good day for Yooka-Laylee and 2017 looks to be a great year for Playtonic as a whole.

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