Observation Dev Explains PS4 Console Exclusivity, ‘Sony Took An Early Interest In This Game’

On whether a Switch or Xbox One release is in the pipeline: "We've not looked beyond PS4 and PC for now."

Posted By | On 09th, Nov. 2018

The upcoming title Observation, developed by indie studio No Code, is looking like a very interesting project. You play as S.A.M., an artificial intelligence in charge of a space station, where the entire crew has vanished, and it is up to you to help Dr. Emma Fisher, the only remaining person still left in the station, to not only find out what happened to the station and the rest of the crew, but also survive.

As the station’s AI, you operate its cameras, tools, and control stations, so the very act of playing the game sounds, even on paper, very unique- if that sounds interesting to you and you want to try it out, though, your options are a bit limited, because other than PC, Obersvation is only slated for a launch on the PS4. We recently had a chat about the game with developers No Code, and asked them about why this was the case, and Jon McKellan, creative director and writer of the title, said that Sony “took an early interest” in the game.

“Sony took an early interest in this game and has worked closely with Devolver [Digital, the publishers of Observation] for a number of years and have a longstanding relationship,” McKellan said. “They’ve been great to work with, and along with Devolver have given us the support we needed to get things moving.”

So Sony, essentially, locked down a console exclusivity deal, a timed one at the very least, early on in the game’s production, encouraged by what they were seeing and the potential the project had, which also seems to be in line with what other indie devs have also said about their own games.

That said, what are the chances that No Code and Devolver Digital bring over Observation to the Xbox One or the Nintendo Switch as well? According to McKellan, that isn’t something No Code is even considering right now, as they remain focused on the upcoming PC and PS4 release.

“We’ve not looked beyond PS4 and PC for now,” McKellan told GamingBolt. “We want to get those builds in the best state we can and released before we even entertain anything else further down the line.”

Observation is slated for a PS4 and PC launch some time in 2019, though a more specific release date hasn’t yet been announced. Our full interview with Jon McKellan will be going live soon, so stay tuned to GamingBolt.


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