Cuphead will not be released for PlayStation 4
StudioMDHR confirms indie title as a full console exclusive, but sequels could be published on multiple consoles
StudioMDHR's Cuphead will not be released on PlayStation 4, though the studio has suggested that a sequel could appear on multiple console platforms.
The terms of the highly anticipated indie game's exclusivity were detailed on NeoGaf, in a forum thread discussing a recent article about its protracted development. Posting under the name "Teeth", StudioMDHR confirmed that Cuphead would not be released for PS4.
"Yes, this Cuphead game is exclusive to Xbox and PC (with Steam and Win10 versions at launch and a GoG release likely shortly after)," the poster said. "There will likely be a Mac version down the road and possibly a Linux version beyond that (unless we lose our houses or whatever)."
The possibility of the development team losing their houses is not as far-fetched as it might first appear, either. The article being discussed on the forum thread revealed that StudioMDHR's founders had quit their day jobs and remortgaged their houses following the positive response Cuphead received at E3 2015.
Not every ID@Xbox game is a console exclusive, but Microsoft does have certain requirements for any developer who wants to reap the benefits of the programme. In its divisive "parity" clause, Microsoft stipulates that ID@Xbox games must at least be launched simultaneously with versions on other platforms, or have some sort of exclusivity or exclusive Xbox content.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz in 2015, Microsoft's Chris Charla said that the company could be "flexible" on those terms, but Gang Beasts developer Boneloaf cited parity as the reason the game was not released for Xbox One.
However, while PS4 owners may be disappointed, StudioMDHR said that it does own the Cuphead IP, and it would be self-publishing on Steam. The future of the franchise is very much in its hands.