Originally released back in 2014 on PC and mobile (with later versions on PS4 and Xbox One), developer Stoic Games' The Banner Saga drew critical acclaim (and an accompanying sequel) thanks to its deep strategy gameplay and beautiful hand-drawn visuals, while the previously-announced PS Vita version of the first title will (unfortunately) not see the light of day.

In a blog post from publisher Versus Evil, the company announced that development on the PS Vita version of The Banner Saga has ceased, as the company explained that "unfortunately, after much work and resources," the studio has decided to cancel the portable version of the acclaimed strategy RPG.

Specifically, the post goes into detail on the "significant effort" from Stoic, Versus Evil, Sony, and other external studios that were brought on to try and make the PS Vita version of the title happen, as the project had been in developer for over two years, as Sony (notably) stepped in back in December 2015 to assist with bringing the title to the portable console. As the post explained, Versus Evil was thankful for how Sony came in and was able to "publicly help an indie developer in such a way," as developer Code Mystics was also involved in helping create the portable version of the title.

Ultimately, the company cited that the "effort, time and cost had far exceeded what was budgeted by all involved," and development on the title proved to be a difficult project due to the "various unique engine aspects of Banner Saga." This included "significant performances snags" of getting the title to run on Vita, which ultimately led to the decision to cancel the project, which Stoic said was "mutual across the board" and that "it would take more time and funding to make this port a reality."

While the news is unfortunate, fans of The Banner Saga still have other places to play the title, while a third (and final) entry in the series is also in development and tentatively set to debut in December 2018.

The Banner Saga is available now for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Liunx, iOS, and Android.