Update: Firm releases statement
Update []: In light of this, the creator behind Absolum (Dotemu) has issued an official statement to Windows Central indicating that an Xbox strategy might be in development.
Here’s the complete statement:
“Our community manager answered community inquiries in good faith but without context regarding our broader company vision. Dotemu has consistently maintained a strong and positive rapport with Xbox and has launched multiple titles on the platform, including this summer’s NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound. While no plans can be disclosed at this moment, Xbox enthusiasts should remain vigilant for forthcoming announcements.”
Original Story: There has been considerable chatter about a recent title named Absolum – we’ve noticed a lot of interest from individuals seeking information regarding an Xbox version, prompting us to investigate the game’s Discord server to understand why it’s not available on Microsoft’s console upon release.
Absolum, in case you are unaware, is a roguelite beat ‘em up developed by Dotemu – the studio responsible for Streets Of Rage 4 and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, although Guard Crush Games and Supamonks are also acknowledged for their contributions. It currently holds an impressive Metacritic average of 86, but sadly, the launch platforms are restricted to PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
So what’s the situation? The answer was provided by a community manager on Discord recently, who clarified to an Xbox enthusiast that the studio had to focus on specific platforms due to the limited size of the development team.
“The group behind Absolum is about as small as our in-game resistance faction. Due to the team’s scale (as with many similar projects), we have to make choices on what to prioritize. It’s quite uncommon for us to launch on EVERY platform and in this case, Xbox just wasn’t prioritized and it’s not in our current plans for THIS title.”
In a different message, another apparent team member was a bit more straightforward about the situation:
“Hello there. At the moment, we’re not planning an Xbox version, but who knows what the future might bring.”
This is undoubtedly disappointing from an Xbox viewpoint, but it’s not as if Dotemu hasn’t previously released titles on Xbox – in fact, a significant number of their games usually come to Xbox, so this is merely an unfortunate deviation from the norm.
Let’s hope the game enjoys massive success and the team considers bringing it to Xbox, perhaps as a part of an Xbox Game Pass offering? We’ll have to wait and observe, but for the time being, you’ll need to play it on one of those alternative systems – or purchase the ROG Xbox Ally and acquire it via Steam instead!
Were you looking forward to purchasing Absolum on Xbox? Let us know in the comments section below.
[source discord.com, via discord.com]
Fraser is the News Editor at Pure Xbox, where he dedicates his time to covering the most significant stories in the realm of Xbox and beyond.