Frontier Developments has cancelled additional improvement of Elite Harmful on Xbox and PlayStation and can not launch a console model of its Odyssey enlargement. “Now we have been wrestling with one of the simplest ways to maneuver ahead, and it’s with a heavy coronary heart now we have determined to cancel all console improvement,” mentioned Frontier chief David Braben.
The $40 Odyssey enlargement lastly gave gamers the chance to discover planets on foot and go to area stations, settlements and extra — moderately than simply hanging out on spaceships and touchdown automobiles. Nevertheless, the launch on PC was a catastrophe with efficiency, server and different points, and the corporate has been struggling to repair them ever since. To date the enlargement has acquired 10 main updates, however there’s apparently nonetheless work to be achieved, in response to Braben.
“It is no secret that Odyssey’s launch was lower than supreme, together with the necessity to cut up the PC/console participant base to concentrate on a PC-only launch,” Braben wrote. “Since Odyssey’s launch in Might 2021, now we have labored tirelessly to enhance the Odyssey expertise on PC, and while now we have made nice progress there’s nonetheless extra to be achieved.”
It was anticipated that the corporate would concentrate on releasing Odyssey on console as soon as it licked the PC bugs. Now, nevertheless, Frontier shouldn’t be solely cancelling Odyssey however any future Elite Harmful updates on Xbox or PlayStation. As an alternative, it’ll focus improvement on PC, which has the most important share of gamers by far.
“We want to have the ability to transfer ahead with the story of the sport, and to ensure that us to do that we have to concentrate on a single codebase,” mentioned Braben. “Elite Harmful will proceed on console as it’s now along with essential updates, however we are going to concentrate on new content material updates on PC on the post-Odyssey codebase. This was not a straightforward determination to make, however it was made with the long-term way forward for Elite Harmful in thoughts.” Frontier will share extra info on future PC improvement “in the end,” he added.
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