Earlier this month, Thunderful CEO Brjann Sigurgeirsson confirmed Image & Form's new game - The Gunk, wouldn't be coming to the Switch, as it's exclusive to Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Windows PC and Game Pass.
If you were still hopeful it might one day arrive on the hybrid system (considering the developer's ties with Nintendo platforms), it really won't be happening. In a recent interview with our sister site Pure Xbox, the game's director, Ulf Hartelius, doubled-down on Sigurgeirsson's previous comments - stating how it would be "permanently exclusive" to Microsoft's platforms.
Since making this game is such a big step for us we knew we wanted to find a strong partner and Microsoft had been excited about it since our earliest conversations. And yes, it will be permanently exclusive for Windows 10 and the Xbox consoles. The gunk itself is using an advanced rendering technique that should benefit a lot from the added power of the Series X. It will also be a lot easier to get the game world as lush and vibrant as we’re aiming for.
This is a one-time exclusive deal and the team has already reassured Nintendo fans it will continue making SteamWorld games for the Switch - as previously stated by Sigurgeirsson:
SteamWorld is indeed closely associated with Nintendo. And we certainly haven’t made our last SteamWorld game. Nintendo Switch (and future Nintendo consoles) are natural parts of those plans.
To read more about The Gunk, view the full interview on Pure Xbox. Were you hoping to see this particular game on Switch? Are you relieved to hear SteamWorld will still be associated with Nintendo platforms moving forward? Tell us below.
[source purexbox.com]
Comments 77
In news today:
Microsoft exclusive will be exclusive to Microsoft
Brought to you by Nintendo Life
@Coach_A
You didn’t read the ending of the article, did you??
All I heard was money, money, money....
Shrugs
OK. No problem with me or many
@MarcusIsCool the bit that was reported weeks ago about continued support for Nintendo?
Or the basic question they ask at the end to divert unrelated news into a vaguely Nintendo related format?
@playstation_king Really? I see that Image & Form clearly wanted to try something new (3D, not SteamWorld) and were given the option of massive risk mitigation by making it an Xbox exclusive. Sure, that means money was a massive factor, but when that money simply means Image & Form get to develop their skills and portfolio with a more diverse catalogue, then that seems like smart moves for themselves, MS and the industry and fans in general.
Game play doesn't look very interesting, maybe the trailer is just lame and another one will show the game in more detail...
@Coach_A I have seen something like your comment many times.
The reason is (said by someone on the staff of NintendoLife itself in the comment’s somewhere) that this is a website that primarily has the focus on Nintendo related content. But as we all know they also have articles for Neo Geo, SEGA and other stuff.
But since this is a commercial website they tend to have (some) clickbait titles and/or post articles that can be controversial such as this one or when Octopath Traveler was not a Nintendo Exclusive anymore. Or Netflix’s The Witch series that has nothing to do with the game but still gets posted about/on.
Also yeah Microsoft Xbox “strong publisher” power etc etc.
Nah it’s just a big bag of cash.
I get it but this won’t sell well on Xbox and kind of devalues their indie routes. I’d be surprised if their biggest sales were not on Nintendo.
I’m sure it’ll be a good game, I trust Image and Form. But I gotta agree with above poster, it doesn’t look as interesting as SteamWorld games. I get why they went with MS between mitigation of cost - basically they’re already paid for the game they don’t have to worry if it sells or not - and with XB1/SX having more power to work with.
I’ll likely get it to try later on down the road when I get a Series X. Gonna wait and see about the possible Switch Pro before I jump into next gen. Can’t afford to buy a Ps5/SX then turn around and get a Switch Pro 3-4 months later.
@quinnyboy58 The game will launch on Gamepass, so it doesn't really matter how many it sells. Image and Form will receive a set payment from Microsoft to develop the game and make a tidy profit from it.
Meanwhile on Xbox fansites:
"Brain Training For Nintendo Switch" permanently exclusive to Nintendo Switch.
They wanted to make a "Ice Climber" remake, and i wonder if they made a demo and submitted it to Nintendo.
Looking at Steamworld, they are the perfect developer for it.
Anyways. I'm getting "The Gunk" at no cost on release anyway as it will be released on Game Pass Ultimate.
Pointless article as it's already confirmed it wouldn't be released on Switch, and it's pointless to keep anouncing Xbox exclusives on a Nintendo site. Slow news day?
I guess Forza 8 and Fable 4 will be anounced as Xbox exclusive here too.
@Ventilator Image&Form rose to fame and glory due to their efforts on 3DS eShop with the original SteamWorld Dig, and has mostly been known up until this point as the company who has always released their SteamWorld games first on Nintendo hardware and later ported the games elsewhere. So I think it's perfectly justifiable to cover this story over here.
@Ventilator Not entirely pointless. The site had a goal with this article, and that was to get clicks.
"permanently exclusive"
For now...
@Henmii for now.... until PS5 dumps Xbox in the gutter and M$ try to team up with Nintendo again and start releasing more “permanent exclusives” on the New Switch Pro Deluxe?
Game looks awesome, chalk one up for MS.
Also the game pass they have is pretty inexpensive, so I wouldn't fret overly.
So they wanted a strong partner, and chose Microsoft......
Oh, bye then Image and Form. All their games must have sold best on XBox. Ah well.
Huh... No Ps4 or Switch. My gaming laptop will most likely be below specs. Well, goodbye Image and Form.
@OorWullie yeah good point, still a shame though that they don't back themselves to sell. still I do get why they are doing it.
Have these guy's actually made a game worth playing on the Switch?
I saw one shovelware title a while back, but it looks rubbish so I didn't bother.
@beazlen1 I doubt it's going to go that way this time around.
The PS5 looks rubbish and Sony has been dropping the ball constantly since they ousted Shawn Layden.
Microsoft has enough money to buy out Sony 3 times and still be one of the biggest companies in the world afterwards. And they're using a lot of that money to buy exclusive rights to many games.
This time isn't going to be like last time, Sony looks like their about to eat dirt for years to come.
The Gunk becomes The Junk when it reaches Xbox.
@NoTinderLife I'll be honest, the stuff they put on the Switch looks like Shovel Ware junk to me.
I'm not bothered if they never make another game for Nintendo.
@Razer All the SteamWorld games are actually really good. They review really well also. Honestly worth a try, I find them an easy recommendation.
Well that's a good win for Xbox. Though Nintendo at least still has Hollow Knight: Silksong, they ought to do this more often.
"(and future Nintendo consoles)"
And now they're joining the club, huh? Let's see what they have in mind.
@Rohanrocks88
PS one mini was a dropped ball.
PS Vita was a dropped ball.
The backlash following no cross play was a dropped ball.
Here is a few points unrelated to video games but they dropped the ball.
Their mobile division is bleeding money, lost them half a billion in 2018 alone.
Ghostbusters all female reboot was a dropped ball that cost them a large sum of money.
Hell if they didn't give Spiderman to Marvel to reboot, they'd have lost money on their movies in general.
Actually no Sony have been dropping loads of balls, but when you just concentrate on their games (and one aspect of it too) then yeah it might look like they've been doing great.
@Rohanrocks88 here ya go
https://sonyreconsidered.com/sony-mobile-loses-more-money-than-playstation-makes-because-5g-is-the-future-64ef4ab74c19
https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN1S20G6
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/sony-profit-revenue-fall-below-expectations-2020-05-13
Sony have constantly been losing money as a business for more than 2 years now.
@Xiovanni yes, it was.
Just wait until people become nostalgic for the 2020s. Then it'll be on everything.
@playstation_king I'm pretty sure you weren't shouting "money money money" when Platinum stated Bayonetta 2 wouldn't be coming to other platforms.
This door only goes one way, doesn't it? It's only about money if it's not on your platform of choice.
@Chlocean well I suppose you do have a point 😅 but developers should atleast be open and admit it
@Razer You've not played their games, you dismiss them as shovelware and then state you're happy for them to not return. That's pretty ignorant, and quite selfish.
These guys are regarded as one of the best indie studios in the business thanks to their Steamworld series mostly. The Dig games are excellent Metroidvanias, Quest is a solid card battler and Heist is a brilliant turn-based strategy. They're games listed in the same tier of quality and prestige as the likes of Shovel Knight, Hollow Knight, Celeste, Guacamelee and such. And it's fair if they're not for you (if you've played them) but they are a big deal that many love for good reason.
Image and Form added to the list with EA, Platinum etc..
@Ogbert I appreciate you existing so I didn't have to type that out myself.
@dew12333 I don’t think they did (although happy to be proven wrong). It was announced at the Xbox event and has always been an exclusive since it became public knowledge about its existence. Again, if you can point me in the right direction I’m happy to be proven wrong.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with devs securing funding for an otherwise risky project. It’s good for the industry for development to be funded with less risk. This in turn could mean other games get greenlit for Switch. It’s all good.
Are people not reading the article, today? The reason this news is on a Nintendo site is because at some point, it seemed like the game had a chance on the Switch. Now, it won’t be on Switch, so it seems like a Nintendo site is the appropriate news source so that any Nintendo fan that was holding out for this will now know.
Luckily it looks awful.
Good looking game. It would likely get a heavy down-res to make it to the Switch similar to"Journey to the Savage Planet". That game is nowhere near as much fun to look at when comparing the Switch version to other consoles. Eek!
People getting their barbs out over this for Nintendolife and I&F?? Just wish them success for Pete’s sake lol
Ok, that's fine. Exclusives are the point aren't they, it doesn't affect their steamworld ip, so why does it matter? Consumer choice is the whole point, there is consequences, both good and bad, to your purchase. Why in the video games industry does nobody seem to understand that.
And yes it's about money. Money to keep the studio alive and to make said game. It's the same deal as death stranding what's the problem?
@Ajent
I think you may be right there, I think I misread something as I just checked. Sorry about that and thanks for pointing out so kindly. I might edit my post to stop anyone else pointing out my mistake.
I may still not purchase any of their games, but only as they haven't appealed to me in the past, and being old means I don't get to share my love of gaming with the number of games I would like too nowadays.
I don't think the exclusivity is anything to worry about. I've loved I&F's games so far but they've all been fairly simple 2D games. Do they have the resources, even with Microsoft's money, to pull off a 3D game like this? I guess we'll find out.
"as it's exclusive to Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Windows PC and Game Pass."
Well you can't get much more exclusive than that. 🤣
@TG16_IS_BAE
Agreed. Perfectly justifiable article.
And anyway, why do people click on an article that doesn’t interest them just to complain about it?
Sounds like MS are paying for it, so I suppose that’s fair enough. Game Pass works really well for games like this where the Dev just needs to know they’re not going to lose money by trying something different.
@electrolite77 No idea!
@Razer
“ Have these guy's actually made a game worth playing on the Switch”
Yes several. As a quick Google would reveal. Steamworld Dig 2 is one of the best platformers on the Switch. It has a Metascore of 88, Steamworld Heist has 91, the original Dig 83 and Quest 81. They’re a high quality developer.
@BrintaPap
Also yeah Microsoft Xbox “strong publisher” power etc etc.
Nah it’s just a big bag of cash
Potato potatoe.
Being a publisher means they will take the risk and finance development, up front. If the game flops, the developer is not forced to close doors. So, of course it's about money, that is what any good publisher brings to the table.
Well, any developer deliberately ignoring the console with the second biggest market share is their own worst enemy.
@dew12333 no worries!
I don’t want to presume your age, but I am an older gamer myself (kids, job and all the other stuff that gets in the way!), but if you are similar to me then that’s exactly why I&F games are pretty good.
If you’re a NES/SNES gamer of old and appreciate metroidvania’s then both the Dig titles are fairly decent games. The first took me about 4hrs to complete and the second one was a bit longer, but still only 6-7hrs. Heist was around 7-8hr mark. As I’ve said above, they’re an easy recommendation for me. I’ve enjoyed them immensely- to the point that I will always buy an I&F game because they’ve been so consistently fun.
Looks interesting. Would look nothing like that on Switch anyway after they downgrade the hell out of it.
PC Game Pass + Shadow PC = Problem solved.
Liked SteamWorld Quest. That is a more Switch friendly type game. Stick with stuff like that for Nintendo.
Cuphead and Ori were Microsoft exclusives until they weren't.
This will be on Nintendo as soon as it stops selling on Microsoft platforms.
Have people actually watched the trailer? I doubt this would run on Switch anyway.
I might try it if I eventually get PC GamePass, but it doesn't look all that good, so my hopes aren't high.
@electrolite77
I'll have to check it out then.
I watched a YouTube video of Steamworld Dig and it looked a bit rubbish but I'll give it a go and see for myself.
That is fine with me since I love my Xbox One and Game Pass. It is a shame others won't get to enjoy it though.
@Razer
I think the Graphical style is an acquired taste. Really good game though.
I think this looks great. And I'm fine with this only being on XBox, but then I have an XBox, so I'm probably not the target of the question.
Oh yeah, this game looks blah so yall can keep it
@XBontendo
Same here. I’ll play it on Xbox. Looks good from what little bit we’ve seen, and with the Pedigree of the developer
So, what ppl are saying is that since they don't actually have any stake in Image & Form, as a company, nor do they work for them or make business decisions, then they should listen to you about ONE game that will be exclusive to another platform??? ONE game, in their library of great games - available on multiple platforms - isn't coming to Switch and we all need to hate them?!?! Even going so far as to lump them in with EA and their ilk??? Wow, their are some real whiners around and I honestly hope you don't ever get what you want in the world of gaming, because you can never be satisfied. Now, am I bummed that it isn't coming to the Switch, sure... but I understand what making an exclusive game entails and how going with a partner that is excited about what you are making and is helping you to advertise it can be a huge help. After all, developers aren't in it for the charity work, this is their livelihood and it is extremely selfish of any gamer to think that they are owed anything from a developer just because they enjoy their games... that's just silly.
@Kalmaro
Lol yeah pretty much.
I really like the look of this, looking forward to playing it on my X1 or eventually Series X whenever i get around to buying one
@Chlocean
Considering their name is playstation_king they may have actually. So perhaps you should be pointing to street fighter 5 or spider man as an example that they can better relate to.
@EliteXeos
Yep, they sure did. And where is the problem again? They are only getting the backing & financial security of one of the most profitable companies out there. Think what you want of them, but personal feelings & biases does not change that.
Ah it happens, it's not that big a deal. I might try it on Game Pass when it comes out.
In the meantime I have to finish SteamWorld Quest and fantasize about what's next for the Steam series.
I'm surprised at how many people are complaining about this article on a Nintendo site. This wasn't clickbait. The article was very clear on what you were going to read. If you weren't interested in reading about something that wasn't going to appear on the Switch it took less than a second to scan to the next article. But you took the time to not only click on the article but to comment.
@Razer Sony is profitable based on your links. Falling short of projected profit estimates does not equal a loss. It seems like you are trying hard to convince people that Sony is going to fail to Microsoft in the console wars--but why do you care so much that you would misconstrue the actual data?
@beazlen1,
Who knows! We have already Cuphead and Ori. Braid is coming. And maybe this game too (and hopefully the second Ori game). As far as indies go, I have hope (there is a possibility).
@cleveland124 The term is thrown around so much these days that it has literally lost all meaning.
@Ajent
I am afraid I remember dad bringing home Pong and the sound of the tape failing to load yet again, so as you can imagine what a game looks like really doesn't matter to me. I did have Portal Knights recommended to me just lately and really enjoyed that. But as much as I don't care what the game looks like, I do like any games that tries something new and different, this generation seems to be focused towards being like something else but slightly different, mainly just because that made some money so if we make something similar then so we will too!! I do find that is what I see all the time from companies like I&F, maybe not them if I tried the games, I don't know. But at the end of day this is why I am a Nintendo fan and spend most of my time playing there games, as they seem to try harder than anyone else to innovate.
@Damo Or you could say that websites have made things look slightly less clickbaity in order to try and avoid people thinking/saying it.
But I wouldn't have called this one click bait at all, maybe not completely nintendo or maybe trying to goad Nintendo fans.
In other words...give it time...if Xbox Series X does as bad as the XBONE did, the game will eventually make it to PS5 and Nintendo in a few years, just like Ori and Lucky did.
Honestly, I still see the game arriving for PS5 eventually and possibly nintendo (possibly not Switch, but nintendo's next console, which I'm sure nintendo is working on). All in all, it will definitely come to the console that does better in sales (PS5 versus Series X).
This upcoming year will be a fun one. With Sony and Microsoft releasing new consoles, what will be in store for nintendo? Also, remember that the Wonderful 101 was to be a Wii U only game, and look what happened...same went with Zombi U. This kind of thing seemed to happen with every console throughout, so in other words, give it time. Companies are going to want as much money as they can get, so they're definitely going to want it released to more people and users.
This was news on practically the day the game was announced, lmao. I&F openly said the game was backed by Microsoft and they wanted a platform that could handle the graphics.
Anyone who thought it would come to Switch, after I&F basically said the Switch couldn't handle it, was out of their minds.
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