# Orbitals development shift and subsequent release

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/orbitals-game-development-shift-to-multiplayer
> Updated: 2026-09-01T09:00:00.000Z. Sources: 15. Developments: 3.

Developer Shapefarm has announced that its upcoming title, Orbitals, will feature strictly multiplayer gameplay. Game director Jakob Lundgren explained that the decision to remove the original single-player functionality was made to ensure mechanics require players to “truly rely on one another to succeed.”

Lundgren noted that maintaining a solo mode would have prevented the team from designing challenges that necessitate interdependence. By committing to a pure cooperative experience, the developers aim to avoid “doing both bits but not doing it fully.”

Orbitals is an intergalactic adventure inspired by retro anime featuring characters Maki and Omura. The game supports asymmetric co-op via online play or local split-screen.

Following its development cycle, Shapefarm released Orbitals on September 3, 2026, for the Nintendo Switch 2. The game follows Maki, a mechanic, and Omura, a cartographer, as they navigate twelve chapters across three regions—including ice and lava environments—to save a decaying space station from a cosmic storm. While the title has been noted for its strong music and cooperative mechanics, initial reviews have cited inconsistent quality, specifically mentioning repetitive transitions and long periods of downtime.

## Claims

- Shapefarm is a developer based in Tokyo. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The game Orbitals is a cooperative space adventure featuring a retro-anime style. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The game consists of twelve chapters. (corroborated by 3 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-09-01: Shapefarm releases Orbitals space adventure game

Tokyo-based developer Shapefarm has released Orbitals, a retro-anime style cooperative space adventure focused on puzzle-solving and resource gathering across twelve chapters.

10 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/shapefarm-releases-orbitals-space-adventure-game

### 2026-08-16: Shapefarm removes single-player mode from Orbitals to focus on co-op

Shapefarm's upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, Orbitals, will feature a dedicated two-player co-op mode only, after developers removed single-player support to prioritize deep teamwork mechanics.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/shapefarm-removes-single-player-mode-from-orbitals-to-focus-on-co-op

### 2026-08-15: Orbitals director explains shift to multiplayer-only gameplay

Orbitals director Jakob Lundgren explains why Shapefarm transitioned the game to a multiplayer-only experience to ensure deep player cooperation.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/orbitals-director-explains-shift-to-multiplayer-only-gameplay

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Cite as: Orbitals development shift and subsequent release. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/orbitals-game-development-shift-to-multiplayer