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No Time to Explain arrives on Xbox One and PC following a troubled development

Gabe Gurwin
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No Time To Explain, the bloody, cartoony, time-traveling platformer from developer tinyBuild, is now available to download on both Xbox One and Steam, offering fast-paced action and Adult Swim-style comedy. However, this is actually the studio’s
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second attempt at making
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No Time To Explain after a failed relationship with a Russian publisher almost killed the project.

In a post on the studio’s website titled “Why the original No Time To Explain sucked,” tinyBuild CEO Alex Nichiporchik explained that in 2011, following a successful Kickstarter campaign for No Time To Explain that saw more than 2,000 backers donate $26,000 in funding, he received a message from BUKA Entertainment, a Russian publisher interested in working with the studio. BUKA proposed a publishing contract that would guarantee “$20,000 advance on royalties,” an additional dollar on every copy sold, and Steam access.

However, after the next few months of development the studio had still not received its funding from BUKA. Another message to the publisher followed, when it was revealed that BUKA’s independent projects had “collapsed,” including a failed collector’s edition of Super Meat Boy, and it was terminating the No Time To Explain contract.

At this point, the studio split the game into two parts to attempt to salvage its hard work, but low sales and an eventual critical bashing on Steam Greenlight meant the dream was over … or so Nichiporchik thought. A meeting with DoubleDutch Games and its wildly successful game Speedrunners led to tinyBuild acting as a publisher for the first time, investing resources into DoubleDutch’s project for the move from Xbox to PC. The decision turned out to be a good one, as the profit from Speedrunners allowed tinyBuild to take another crack at No Time To Explain.

The new version of No Time To Explain includes four-player multiplayer, a dedicated dance button, and in tinyBuild’s words, “boss battles that don’t suck.” In a world where studios fail to admit mistakes, this level of honesty is refreshing.

“And now you’re getting the game you deserved originally.” Nichiporchik says. “I’m sorry it took this long.”

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Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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