The other day I posted a brief article discussing rumours that Hi-Fi Rush might be getting ported to the Nintendo Switch, but things have become even more interesting.
In the original post, I talked about a reliable source by the name of NateTheHate mentioning that he thought a “critically acclaimed” Xbox exclusive would be getting ported outside of just Xbox and PC. This began speculation that it could be Hi-Fi Rush as it would fit all of the criteria Nate mentioned.
The information was then backed up by a ResetEra user by the name of lolilolailo who has also been quite reliable in the past. Responding to a user who idly pondered if the game could be Hi-Fi Rush and that it might be coming to the Nintendo Switch, lolilolailo replied with, “and you’ll win.”
However, lolilolailo has reappeared in the thread with updated information.
“Yeah, about this.” lolilolailo wrote. “While there was a Switch (and PS5) version in development, plans may have changed in terms of platforms. As in dropping the Switch version and keeping the PS5 one.”
Another user asked lolilolailo why they changed their tone from the other day. He responded: “Info was outdated (I knew about the game many months ago) because I didn’t really care that much about HFR going anywhere, so I wasn’t paying much attention. It wasn’t a big deal for me. Now it’s more up to date.”
Jez Corden also posted an article on Window Central discussing rumours of Hi-Fi Rush coming to Switch and potentially the PS5. It’s a great read that makes some interesting points about how porting an Xbox “exclusive” could erode the trust people have in the brand.
Hi-Fi Rush coming to Sony’s platform would be a huge deal, and a potential sign of things to come. Why critically successful, it doesn’t seem like Hi-Fi Rush achieved a lot of commercial success, which could be why Microsoft may want to spread it around a little. On the other hand, Jez may have a point: if an exclusive can suddenly be sold on other platforms, fans might grow wary that other exclusives they bought into the Xbox ecosystem to play might also become freely available, making their purchase meaningless.