NieR: Automata is set to launch next month for PlayStation 4, with a release on PC coming at a currently unspecified later point in 2017. Some have wondered why the game won’t also be getting a release on Xbox One, and now the game’s producer has broken the silence regarding the lack of Xbox One support.
Honestly, the reasoning isn’t surprising, and largely has to do with Xbox One’s poor performance in Japan. The game’s producer Yosuke Saito recently did an interview where he said that “There are currently no plans to release on this platform. The main reason for this is that the Japanese market for Xbox One is not strong, so the decision was made to focus on PlayStation 4 rather than to split our efforts across two platforms.”
He goes on to say that “The biggest benefit to developing on one platform is that we did not have to split our time, allowing us to focus more on the quality. It is not about whether one platform is better than the other, it’s that from a development point of view were can devote more time to one platform.”
The wait for the game won’t go on much longer, but for those who are impatient there is a demo of the game that is available to download for free through PSN. It gives a decent taste of the game as it lasts around 30 minutes, though there are aspects of the game that were left out. So far the response to the game has been pretty positive from those who have played the demo and special preview builds, so it will be very interesting to see if developer PlatinumGames is able to bounce back with this game.
NieR: Automata will launch for PlayStation 4 on March 7th.
