Konami Abruptly Cancels Development On Nintendo Switch Sports Game Exclusive

Developer Konami has stopped working on Hyper Sports R, which was slated to hit Nintendo Switch exclusively at an undisclosed date.

"As of today, we have decided to discontinue development on Hyper Sports R for the Nintendo Switch," Konami wrote on the game's official website. "The team had been continually working on the game since its initial reveal in June 2018. However, after much consideration, we have decided to cancel its development due to various circumstances.

"We deeply apologize to all our valued customers who have been patiently anticipating the release of this game for this significant inconvenience. We hope that you will continually enjoy our products and services."

Konami has not publically said anything about the sudden cancellation of Hyper Sports R. Further, the studio hasn't specified what the "various circumstances" were that lead to the sports game's shelving or whether the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has any impact on development.

Hyper Sports R was scheduled to be the latest entry in the long-running sports simulation franchise that began back in 1984 with Hyper Sports for arcades and, later, the Commodore 64. There have been several entries in the series since then, with the most recent being 2010's Hyper Sports Track & Field for iOS devices. Hyper Sports R was announced during E3 2018 and made very few public appearances after that.

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