Rumours have begun swirling that Xbox-exclusive Hi-Fi Rush might be coming to the Nintendo Switch. Is there any truth to them?
This rumour first gained traction when NateTheHate brought up a potential Xbox-exclusive game coming to other platforms this year.
During the podcast, which was talking about predictions for the coming year, Nate and MVG touched upon the topic of Microsoft potentially bringing select titles to platforms outside of Xbox and PC.
NateTheHate had something quite specific in mind, however, stating: “Yes, and the title I am referring to was met with high critical acclaim. Fans loved it. It was in the Game of the Year conversation the year it released.”
Joking his friend asked if it was Redfall, to which Nate said that it wasn’t, while the pair laughed.
Nate then went on: “But when the announcement comes, I think it’s going to be met with a lot of excitement because this is a quality game and, as you were saying, I think this is a smart move for Microsoft, and I could see why a lot of Xbox fans, especially the hardcore loyalists, maybe just hellbent against it, but view it from Microsoft’s perspective – from a business perspective. If you’re bringing select games to multiplatform, so outside of PC to Switch and PlayStation, your competitor’s consoles, you’re doing so because you see the quality of the IP and the franchise.”
The duo go on to tackle the idea of PlayStation and Switch owners playing the game, being blown away by it, and then Microsoft announcing a sequel a few years down the line that is exclusive to their console, thus potentially drawing in new customers.
NateTheHate also references the use of an outside publisher to bring a game to Switch, like what was done with Ori and the Blind Forest which was exclusive to Xbox but ended up coming to Nintendo’s hardware as well.
NateTheHate has a pretty decent track record when it comes to insider information, so his comments have naturally sparked debate among fans. What game could he be talking about? Well, a potential hint turned up over on ResetEra.
In a chunky thread batting around ideas on what game Nate might be talking about, one user predicted Hi-Fi Rush, – which launched in early 2023 to rave reviews – as being the likely target. User lolilolailo replied by saying, “And you’ll be right.”
This is important because lolilolailo also has a bit of a track record when it comes to knowing behind-the-scenes information. They previously reported information regarding the Persona series and ATLUS, and was proven right.
Obviously, a big pinch of salt is needed here. But it’s fun to speculate, and if Microsoft are indeed intending to let one of their exclusives venture onto other platforms, Hi-Fi Rush would make a lot of sense. While it was shadow-dropped to a lot of critical acclaim and plenty of praise from gamers, it wasn’t a massive commercial success, despite bringing in over 2-million players.. Launching it on the Switch could be a great way to squeeze some extra juice from it and build hype for a future sequel.
Hi-Fi Rush would also be a perfect choice because it isn’t one of Microsoft’s big triple-A titles, meaning they might feel safe in experimenting with it versus taking something like Starfield and shoving it onto PlayStation.
And then there’s the timing. Other rumours abound that Microsoft is planning a developer direct in the coming weeks to a month, the timing of which would be roughly one year since Hi-Fi Rush was shadow-dropped onto Xbox. What better time to shadow-drop it again, this time onto the Switch? Plus, there were leaks of more Hi-Fi Rush DLC to come.
It all paints a fairly compelling picture. Could it happen?