Cuphead has been a staple of Xbox showcases in past years, each time capturing the audience's fascination with its 1930s-era aesthetic. The payoff for watching all those E3 trailers is coming to a (cup)head soon, though; it's finally set to release in late September.
When it does, it'll be a true console exclusive for Xbox. A member of developer StudioMDHR took to NeoGAF to confirm Cuphead is only releasing on Xbox One and PC. It'll be Windows 10 at first, with a GOG release "likely shortly after." Eurogamer followed up on this quote to inquire about Sony's platform, to which StudioMDHR said "Cuphead is a console exclusive for Xbox One. There will be no PS4 version."
That's one of two news stories about Cuphead that is making the rounds. The other comes from an interview with GamesRadar where the lead developers say that they remortgaged their houses to finance the game. It's supposed to be the kind of claim that we find admirable, that they're so committed to Cuphead that they're willing to put their personal well-being on the line.
It really just raises questions about the benefits of signing a platform-exclusive contract. Without assuming any specifics of these deals, isn't the most attractive perk generally thought to be that you have financial stability through the development process? That's supposed to be a safety net that comes with significant post-launch cost. You're giving up the chance of doubling your sales numbers through exposure on another platform (again, ignoring variables like possible increased revenue rates).
The nuances of these contracts are almost always unknown but there's one unchallenged truth that tends to go overlooked: If the game is weak, platform-exclusivity won't help it sell; if it's a hit, the developer will wish it was available on every single viable channel. Cuphead's quality is merely a hypothetical right now, as it won't release for nearly three more months. However, those two scenarios are far from optimal for StudioMDHR -- especially considering its key members remortgaged their homes to get there. Xbox wins in this situation. The developer probably doesn't.
(For posterity's sake, StudioMDHR addressed this deal in an interview with Time last year that went mostly overlooked. The pertinent stuff is pasted below. I'll leave it to you to parse what's sincere and what's PR spin.)
via destructoid http://ift.tt/2urbFMW