Astral Chain launched as a Nintendo Switch exclusive to enormous critical acclaim last year, but The Wonderful 101’s transition to the PlayStation 4 has had fans pondering – could the action title follow the same trajectory? In an interview with VGC, developer PlatinumGames’ head honcho Atsushi Inaba outlined the situation.
He said: “In the case of Astral Chain, it’s an IP that’s owned half by Platinum and half by Nintendo. So right now it just came out and it’s too early to say.” Pushed for more information, Inaba admitted that any final decisions would come down to the Big N: “They own the publishing rights to Astral Chain so really we have no say in that matter.”
While anything is always possible, we’re going to suggest that this game’s unlikely to launch on any system without a Nintendo logo. The fact is that Astral Chain has been vastly more successful than The Wonderful 101, thus it commands much more value to the platform holder than its crowdfunded contemporary.
But would you play it if it did make the transition? Do you think a port is possible? Please don't beg in the comments section below.
[source videogameschronicle.com, via nintendolife.com]
Comments 38
@SaikoWaifu2003 Why? If a console maker pays a developer to make a game to broaden the appeal of it's console, it's all fair game. Developers have bills to pay, too.
News flash: the world isn't fair.
I wouldn't be surprised if Astral Chain goes to PC at some point in the future, but it's very unlikely, as the article states, to appear on a rival console.
"...we have no say in that matter"
And that is what they trying to change with self publishing.
They can still negotiate a time exclusive with hardware makers - and once done they be free to explore whatever is out there.
PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox... or a microwave. They have a say.
I have this on Switch so I probably won’t double dip if this came to PS4. I would recommend it though.
I mean it'll be cool if it comes to PS4 or 5 but I won't lose sleep if it doesn't.
I don't think it should come to PS4, this is one of those games that got life due to the portability of the Switch. The game is fun but repetitive and the level design is a bit uninspired. I don't think people would really buy it as a full priced PS4 game.
As a Switch owner, I can say you guys aren't missing much. I played it twice before trading it in. It doesn't even feel like a Platinum game.
I don’t think this should come to PS4 because of how childish the fanbase acted when it was announced as a Switch exclusive. Let Nintendo fans have something to themselves for goodness sake. Not everything has to be on PlayStation.
I would love to get this on the PS4 and who knows this could happen sooner rather than later
@Akurusu You say that like Nintendo fanboys don't cry all the time port begging games like Persona 5, Yakuza, GTAV and more until they get it like Witcher 3 and not everything needs to be on Switch
@Akurusu i think thats unfair on Playstation owners. The port begging from switch owners has been equally embarrassing. The racket around Persona 5 was just as awful. Nintendo have plenty of great exclusives on switch, and i dont think its unreasonable for xbox or playstation owners to ask for astral chain - from a usually 3rd party developer - to come to their console of choice
Remember, it was switch owners who kicked off because of that chinese game that is similar to breath of the wild - including people sticking middle fingers up at the devs at the trade show, and that bloke smashing up a PS4. Why are those fans different to playstation fans asking for astral chain.
Ultimately every console has odd and childish fans. Its not unique to playstation
@Akurusu If publishers released games based on childish internet reactions, we wouldn't have any games.
@Akurusu I doubt Platinum cares about any of that. You have a childish fanbase component on all sides.
Not like everyone who make up the 108 Million PS4 out there bashed AS. Just sell it to that group.
make it happen so it can finally shut up the nintendo fanboys once and for all.
Already have it on my switch but I really hope it will be available for ps4, it will be nice to play it with 4k and 60 fps on my ps4 pro
@SaikoWaifu2003 How is a console maker paying a third-party developer for an exclusive any different than a console maker paying it's own employees to for exclusives? The financial performance of the console makers is what funds either third-party or internal-party development. Someone is getting paid for exclusive development regardless.
Okay, from a business economics thing, it is cheaper paying contractors to develop a product rather than it's own employee. But still, the console maker is shelling out money for a product. Does it save a buck on overhead to go third-party? Probably, but that's business.
Also, don't forget that third-party developers come to the table for negotiations, too. Don't sling mud at console makers when it's also up to the third-party developers whether they want to accept the terms of console exclusivity or not.
Bloodborne will probably never see the light of day outside of PlayStation and that's okay. Astral Chain may never comes to PlayStation (or Xbox), and that's okay.
It's what makes the consoles unique.
My favorite Platinum game and one of their best is still Nier Automata and I hope we get a sequel very soon, I don't really care about their other ip's so they can go or stay wherever 😕🤷
@Agramonte I think they do since Hideki Kamiya released a statement regarding it.
@Rob_230 I previously stated I know all fanbases are childish and they all do their own stuff. I know what Nintendo fans did, but I’m talking about PlayStation specifically. Exclusives are what make consoles unique. I know for a fact the PS fanbase would be outraged if Bloodborne, a FromSoftware game, made it to Xbox or PC. Death Stranding being announced for PC is proof of that claim. And I never said Nintendo was different. I’m just exposing the PlayStation fanbase as hypocrites.
@GKO900 Looks like the point went over your head. I’m fully aware of what Nintendo fans do, and you’re doing the same thing, hypocrite. I also remember the port begging of Octopath Traveler, Bayonetta 3, and the exclusive content on Dragon Quest 11 XI S.
@Akurusu Says the hypocrite that comes to a PlayStation site to talk about how fans of PlayStation shouldn't get the game for some fans of platinum games that ask for the game and that includes Xbone and PC fans not just PS fans besides it was the only port beg that I seen from PS fans because Astral Chain it's not own completely by Nintendo and no one port beg Octopath Traveler and people only criticize Square Enix for music, as for Bayonetta well that game comes from a third party and it has always been wanted in other consoles since the Bayonetta 2, but don't cry fanboy Astral Chain is no going to PS4... yet
Here I was, hoping that all of these news about TW101 and DxM etc. would make people realize port begging exists everywhere...silly me!
Can we all please just agree that we all want to play all the good games and not resort to humoring others or calling them port beggars? PS fans do it, Ninty fans do it, XBox fans...wait, do they even know ehat an exclusive is? 😂
Joking aside, every fandom has wise people and childish people, no one fandom is better than any other.
Now let's all get along 🥳
Nintendo published Wonderful 101 too.
Ain't going to happen as Astral Chain done really well for the Switch. The Wonderful 101 was a disaster sales wise so Nintendo have zero reason to keep it to themselves, Astral Chain though was a success so they have more reasons to keep it on the Switch. End of the day just because The Wonderful 101 is coming over it doesn't mean everything else is, its like Switch players expecting Gears and Halo because Cuphead came over.
@GKO900 Please tell me how I’m a hypocrite. I should add I own a PS4 & Switch so I don’t miss out on anything. That includes games, deals, and watching the fans rip each other apart. There are plenty of YouTube videos highlighting port begging. I think the same happened with Three Houses. Astral Chain is still owned by Nintendo and it’s their decision. Bayonetta 2 was also funded and again, it’s them who saved the series because Sony and Microsoft wanted nothing to do with the series.
@SaikoWaifu2003 Astral Chain isn't a third party exclusive, its second party. Nintendo funded and published it. It's no different than Sony or Microsoft approaching a developer they don't own to work on a game.
Imma make it real easy for y'all... No it won't!
@ZeroAbbadon Second party does not exist. You have a inhouse developer aka firstparty and developers who makes games for more consoles thirdparty. 😉
@Flaming_Kaiser your ignorance is showing. A second party developer is one that is not wholly owned by the platform holder but does business with them on exclusive terms. Sometimes the platform holder will own a stake in the developer but not always. Second Party development refers to any platform exclusive that is not developed by an in house team but appears exclusively on one platform. This could be applied to all the work Nintendo has done with Platinum as well as Insomniac's work for Sony prior to their buyout and Remedy's string of games with Microsoft.
@SaikoWaifu2003 a lot of exclusive games just wouldn't exist without the platform holders funding them. If exclusives are the necessary evil to keep seeing as varied and artistic a selection of games as possible I'd say it's worth it.
@SaikoWaifu2003 I wouldn't buy a Switch if it didn't have Nintendo exclusives on it. I'm not interested in it as a handheld device and there are millions of people that agree with me.
@ZeroAbbadon Yes. 52 million agree with you.
@Akurusu I didn't say every Switch owner, I said millions. Around 20% of Switch owners use it primarily as a home system, so around 10 million people. And of the 50% that use it in a mix between docked and undocked I'm willing to bet a lot of them wouldn't have bought one solely for its portability without any exclusive titles. So conservatively I would say at least 10 million Switch owners wouldn't buy one for its portability alone.
@ZeroAbbadon You took it too far. That was less of a serious post and more of a Switch has sold 52 million systems joke.
A good game, but nothing to cry about...
@ZeroAbbadon Still a thirdparty developer who does exclusive work for or works close with the platform.
More people getting access to a game is a good thing and would probably increase the likelihood of a sequel too. It's a great game. I don't own a playstation but I would like to see this game on other consoles.
@SaikoWaifu2003 I guess I don't understand your logic.
I mean, if there weren't any console exclusives, then Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo basically become Dell, HP, MSI, Asus. They become brands that play the exact same things.
By your logic, Nintendo is the only one being different as it has the hybrid platform thing going for it - but even the Switch concept exists as Android-based machines, now, so I guess even Nintendo's concept it now generic. I guess Sony would become a VR-only device to differentiate it from....Oculus? Vive?
It's the available software that makes the difference.
Heck even PC still has exclusives - albeit mostly in the MMO and Strategy Game space. There is no StarCraft 2 on consoles. There is no WOW on consoles.
Ultimately, there isn't much difference between Alienware machines, Asus ROG machines, or going through iBuyPower or CyberpowerPC other than customization options and price. They all run Windows 10, they can all install Linux (if that's your thing). They all run Steam, Epic Store, GOG, etc.
By your logic we should live in a world where the only difference we have is CPU-maker, GPU-maker, RAM amount, storage medium.
Everything being equal is boring!
EDIT: My guess is that you want console makers to become software development houses that make games with their "special sauce" for PC. The problem with that is that gaming PC's that can run these games are very expensive. I can almost bet that it would take more than a $500 PC to run The Last of Us Part II at PS4 Pro settings.
@GKO900 curious how p€rs0na if I get to switch lol
@GKO900 and I never arrive 🤣🤣🤣
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