13 years later, the original devs on "the Mario Kart of 2D platformers" are "providing advice and feedback" to a new team bringing the long-awaited sequel to life
Publisher tinyBuild has just lifted the veil on SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed, the sequel to the beloved platformer-meets-racing game. Over a decade later, a new team is working on the sequel to what publisher tinyBuild calls the "Mario Kart of 2D platformers," but the original devs are advising to make sure the details are right.
If you're not familiar with SpeedRunners, the Mario Kart comparison will probably give you the gist – you pick a character and race against friends, picking up items like missles and freeze rays to ruin each others' days as you go. The game is known for its deep movement mechanics, which have supported a years-long tournament scene.
The biggest new addition for this sequel is the introduction of 8-player races, and we're also promised "built-in tournaments, matchmaking, leagues, and all QoL features you want to see in a modern competitive game" as well as "improved netcode."
SpeedRunners 2 is in development at Fair Play Labs, which you might know as the studio behind the Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl games. That pedigree indicates that Fair Play knows a thing or two about building on familiar formats for competitive, colorful games. In an official FAQ, tinyBuild confirms that the devs of the original game at DoubleDutch are "already involved," as they're "providing advice and feedback" on the game's creation, and are "also, to some extent, involved in marketing."
SpeedRunners first launched into early access back in 2013, and the devs estimate that roughly 10 million players have jumped in over the past 13 years. The sequel is itself set to go into Steam Early Access in 2025, with 1.0 and console versions to follow in 2026.
After you tear your friendships apart in SpeedRunners, try to bring them back together with the best co-op games of all time.
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