---
title: "Orbitals Dev Explains Why Single-Player Was Scrapped"
url: "https://www.nintendoreporters.com/en/news/nintendo-switch-2/orbitals-dev-explains-why-single-player-was-scrapped/"
description: "Orbitals is being built as a strictly two-player cooperative adventure, but Shapefarm did not always intend to leave solo players behind."
author: "Patrick Dankers"
published at: "2026-08-28 14:52:47"
image: "https://www.nintendoreporters.com/storage/files/orbitals-dev-explains-why-single-player-was-scrapped.jpeg"
markdown url: "https://www.nintendoreporters.com/en/news/nintendo-switch-2/orbitals-dev-explains-why-single-player-was-scrapped.md"
---

Orbitals Dev Explains Why Single-Player Was Scrapped | Nintendo Switch 2 News | NintendoReporters

 [![Orbitals Dev Explains Why Single-Player Was Scrapped](https://www.nintendoreporters.com/storage/files/orbitals-dev-explains-why-single-player-was-scrapped.jpeg "Orbitals Dev Explains Why Single-Player Was Scrapped")](https://www.nintendoreporters.com/storage/files/orbitals-dev-explains-why-single-player-was-scrapped.jpeg)**Summary:**

Orbitals is being built as a strictly two-player cooperative adventure, but Shapefarm did not always intend to leave solo players behind. During the earliest stages of development, the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive could actually be played either alone or with another person. That direction changed when game director Jakob Lundgren concluded that supporting both approaches would prevent the team from fully committing to the type of cooperation it wanted at the heart of Orbitals.

Lundgren explained recently that allowing every challenge to be completed alone would inevitably place limits on multiplayer design. If a puzzle, obstacle or encounter needs to work for a single player, the developers cannot consistently demand that two people rely on one another. Rather than create an experience that accommodated both styles without fully embracing either, Shapefarm decided to remove the single-player option and build Orbitals specifically for two people.

It was not necessarily an easy decision at the time. Dedicated cooperative games have since demonstrated that requiring a partner can work remarkably well, with It Takes Two becoming one of the most recognizable examples. Orbitals began taking shape when that success was still relatively fresh, however, making a multiplayer-only direction somewhat less reassuring than it might appear now. Shapefarm nevertheless committed to the idea. The result is an adventure designed around communication, teamwork and moments in which one player genuinely needs the other. Orbitals is scheduled to launch exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 on September 3, 2026.

---

## [](#why-orbitals-abandoned-single-player-for-two-player-co-op)Why Orbitals Abandoned Single-Player for Two-Player Co-Op

Orbitals isn’t merely a game that happens to include cooperative multiplayer. Shapefarm has shaped the adventure around the idea that two people are experiencing it together, and that distinction explains one of the most important decisions made during development. Game director Jakob Lundgren recently discussed why the studio abandoned its original single-player option and ultimately committed to requiring two players. The reasoning comes down to something surprisingly simple: if every obstacle must also work when you’re playing alone, there are limits to how much the designers can ask two players to depend on each other. Instead of constantly designing around that compromise, Shapefarm chose to remove it. Orbitals could then be built around cooperation from the ground up, rather than treating multiplayer as an optional layer placed over a fundamentally solo experience.

### [](#orbitals-originally-supported-both-solo-and-multiplayer)Orbitals Originally Supported Both Solo and Multiplayer

The decision becomes particularly interesting because Orbitals wasn’t always planned as a multiplayer-only release. Lundgren explained that when he joined Shapefarm, the project was still at a very early stage with little more than a barely playable prototype. At that point, players could tackle the experience alone or with two people. It sounds flexible on paper, doesn’t it? Give everyone a choice and nobody gets left out. The problem was what that flexibility meant behind the scenes. Every mechanic would need to accommodate somebody controlling the experience without a partner, while simultaneously trying to make the same sequence enjoyable for a pair. As development progressed and Lundgren became game director, he pushed for a clearer identity. If Orbitals was going to be a cooperative game, he wanted the team to embrace that idea rather than continually design around a solo alternative.

#### [](#jakob-lundgren-wanted-players-to-truly-depend-on-each-other)Jakob Lundgren Wanted Players to Truly Depend on Each Other

That distinction between supporting multiplayer and actually requiring cooperation became central to Lundgren’s thinking. A genuine co-op challenge can ask one player to perform an action while the other handles something completely different. One person might need information only their partner can see, or a mechanism may require both players to coordinate their timing. Those situations create the little conversations that make cooperative games memorable: “You go there,” “wait for me,” “not yet,” followed five seconds later by both players wondering how everything went so spectacularly wrong. That dynamic becomes much harder to enforce if the same encounter must remain solvable by one person. Lundgren wanted Orbitals to create situations where relying on your partner isn’t simply helpful but a fundamental part of how the game works. Removing solo play gave Shapefarm considerably more freedom to pursue that goal.

##### [](#supporting-solo-play-would-have-changed-every-co-op-challenge)Supporting Solo Play Would Have Changed Every Co-Op Challenge

Keeping a single-player mode would have affected far more than a menu option. Every puzzle, platforming sequence, tool and interactive mechanic would effectively need to answer the same question: how does one person accomplish this without somebody else? Once that requirement exists, the developers need workarounds. Perhaps an AI partner performs the second role. Maybe one player swaps between characters. Perhaps a cooperative mechanic gets simplified until either person can handle it independently. Any of those solutions could work, but each changes the relationship between the players. Orbitals instead wants both participants actively involved. By knowing that two human players will always be present, Shapefarm can create scenarios around simultaneous actions, different perspectives and responsibilities that only make sense when shared. It is a stricter requirement for anyone wanting to play, but it also gives the designers a much wider playground once the adventure begins.

### [](#shapefarm-chose-to-commit-fully-to-one-experience)Shapefarm Chose to Commit Fully to One Experience

Lundgren’s concern was ultimately that trying to serve solo players and cooperative pairs would leave Orbitals caught somewhere in the middle. The team could build mechanics flexible enough to handle both configurations, but that flexibility might come at the expense of creating the strongest possible version of either one. Shapefarm instead made a deliberate choice: stop trying to satisfy two fundamentally different ways of playing and concentrate its effort on one. That commitment gives Orbitals a clear identity. You’re not choosing co-op because it happens to be available. You’re entering an adventure built with the assumption that somebody else is sitting beside you or connected from somewhere else. The difference might seem small when written on a feature list, but during development it can influence virtually everything, from the structure of puzzles to pacing, camera work and the way the two protagonists interact with the world.

## [](#making-a-two-player-only-game-was-a-bigger-risk-at-the-time)Making a Two-Player Only Game Was a Bigger Risk at the Time

Dedicated co-op games are easier to view as a proven concept now, but Shapefarm made its decision under rather different circumstances. When Orbitals was taking shape, It Takes Two had only recently arrived. The enormous commercial success associated with that game had not yet provided years of reassurance that audiences would eagerly embrace adventures requiring another person. That made Shapefarm’s commitment less safe than it might appear when viewed from 2026. Requiring two players immediately narrows the circumstances in which somebody can jump into a game. You need a partner, both people need enough free time to play together, and online players need a reliable way to connect. Those are genuine hurdles. Shapefarm accepted them because eliminating that requirement would have meant giving up part of the experience the team actually wanted to create.

### [](#it-takes-two-helped-prove-dedicated-co-op-could-find-an-audience)It Takes Two Helped Prove Dedicated Co-Op Could Find an Audience

It Takes Two naturally comes up when discussing games built entirely for pairs, and for good reason. Hazelight’s adventure became an enormous success while demonstrating that requiring cooperation doesn’t automatically prevent a game from reaching a broad audience. There is also a direct connection here, as Lundgren previously worked at Hazelight before joining Shapefarm. Even so, he has pointed out that Orbitals was making these foundational decisions when the landscape looked less settled than it does now. Today, players have several prominent examples showing how compelling a purpose-built cooperative experience can be. At the beginning of Orbitals’ development, that evidence wasn’t nearly as strong. Shapefarm therefore wasn’t simply chasing an obvious formula. The studio was betting that players would accept the inconvenience of needing another person in return for an experience that could do things a traditional single-player adventure couldn’t.

## [](#orbitals-is-designed-around-sharing-the-adventure)Orbitals Is Designed Around Sharing the Adventure

The decision fits naturally with what Shapefarm has shown of Orbitals itself. The game follows Maki and Omura, two young explorers heading into space as they search for help after their station home becomes trapped inside a supernatural cosmic storm. Their adventure mixes puzzles, exploration, action and other cooperative situations while presenting everything through a striking retro anime-inspired style. Just as the story revolves around two characters facing the unknown together, the mechanics ask two real players to share those experiences. That pairing gives the developers opportunities to create memorable differences in what each player is doing. One person might be solving one part of a problem while their partner tackles another, with success coming only when both pieces finally click. When it works, cooperation stops feeling like a multiplayer setting and starts becoming part of the story you’re creating together.

### [](#nintendo-switch-2-features-make-the-two-player-focus-more-accessible)Nintendo Switch 2 Features Make the Two-Player Focus More Accessible

Requiring a second player creates an obvious question: how easy will it actually be to find someone and start playing? Shapefarm has addressed that concern with several options designed to make teaming up considerably easier. Orbitals supports couch co-op for two people sharing the same system, while additional multiplayer options let players connect beyond the living room. A Global Friend’s Pass is also planned for launch, allowing a friend to join without both players needing to purchase separate copies. GameShare provides further possibilities within Nintendo’s ecosystem, including options for local play. These features don’t change the fundamental rule that Orbitals requires two players, but they reduce some of the friction surrounding it. That matters enormously for a game built around partnership. Requiring cooperation is one thing. Making people jump through a dozen hoops before they can cooperate would be considerably less charming.

#### [](#orbitals-launches-for-nintendo-switch-2-on-september-3-2026)Orbitals Launches for Nintendo Switch 2 on September 3, 2026

Players will be able to see whether Shapefarm’s uncompromising approach pays off when Orbitals launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 on September 3, 2026. Rather than adding a single-player alternative for convenience, the studio has chosen to make the relationship between two players one of the foundations supporting the entire experience. That means anybody hoping to explore its retro anime universe will need a partner, but it also allows Orbitals to demand something more interesting from both people than simply occupying the same screen. Every puzzle and shared challenge can be created with two participants in mind from the beginning. Whether you’re teaming up with a partner on the couch or connecting with a friend elsewhere, Shapefarm wants the person on the other side of that second controller to matter.

##### [](#conclusion)Conclusion

Removing single-player from Orbitals wasn’t simply about narrowing the available modes. It gave Shapefarm permission to make cooperation unavoidable. Jakob Lundgren’s reasoning is straightforward: if everything must be possible alone, the developers can never completely rely on two players working together. By committing to a two-player-only structure, the team can instead design puzzles, mechanics and memorable moments around genuine dependency between partners. The decision carried more uncertainty when it was made than it might seem to today, especially before the long-term success of dedicated co-op experiences had become so evident. Still, that risk appears inseparable from what Shapefarm wants Orbitals to be. When the game arrives for Nintendo Switch 2 on September 3, 2026, going it alone won’t be an option. For once, calling a friend isn’t merely recommended. It’s part of the adventure.

##### [](#faqs)FAQs

- **Does Orbitals have a single-player mode?**
    - No. Orbitals is designed specifically as a two-player cooperative experience. An early prototype supported single-player, but Shapefarm later removed that option so the developers could build mechanics requiring both players to work together.
- **Why did Shapefarm remove single-player from Orbitals?**
    - Game director Jakob Lundgren felt that supporting solo play would restrict how strongly the game could depend on cooperation. Every challenge would still need to be possible for one person, preventing the team from fully designing around two players relying on each other.
- **How many players are required to play Orbitals?**
    - Orbitals requires two players. The adventure has been designed around a pair working together rather than offering separate solo and multiplayer approaches.
- **Can a friend play Orbitals without buying another copy?**
    - Yes. Shapefarm has announced a Global Friend’s Pass for release, allowing someone who doesn’t own the full game to join a player who does. Additional local and GameShare options are also available depending on how the pair wants to play.
- **When does Orbitals release on Nintendo Switch 2?**
    - Orbitals is scheduled to launch exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 on September 3, 2026.

##### [](#sources)Sources

- [Creating Orbitals Was A Dream Come True – MinnMax Interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTNQVpbvshY), MinnMax, August 10, 2026
- [Orbitals dev explains why the team ditched single-player and went multiplayer only](https://nintendoeverything.com/orbitals-dev-explains-why-no-single-player-multiplayer-only/), Nintendo Everything, August 15, 2026
- [Orbitals Devs Explain Why the Switch 2 Sci-Fi Anime Adventure Is Two-Player Only](https://noisypixel.net/orbitals-nintendo-switch-2-two-player-co-op/), Noisy Pixel, August 12, 2026
- [Orbitals Preview: Anime nostalgia meets co-op puzzle action](https://gameinformer.com/preview/2026/07/06/anime-nostalgia-meets-co-op-puzzle-action), Game Informer, July 7, 2026
- [Gorgeous retro anime-style co-op adventure Orbitals will have a free friend pass at launch so only one half of your duo needs to buy the game](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/co-op/gorgeous-retro-anime-style-co-op-adventure-orbitals-will-have-a-free-friend-pass-at-launch-so-only-one-half-of-your-duo-needs-to-buy-the-game/), GamesRadar+, July 29, 2026

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