One of the more bizarre concepts for a visual novel can be found in Hatoful Boyfriend, a dating simulation where all of the possible suitors are birds. Combined with the player character being a human girl that lives in a cave, the game is filled with strange, funny, and sometimes horrifying scenarios that players can explore.
While Hatoful Boyfriend was originally released back in 2011, it has since gained quite the cult following, as well as a holiday-themed sequel. Many flock to it due to its sense of humor, briefly appearing human designs for the birds, and the more serious moments the game doesn't shy away from.
Despite this fan-following, both Hatoful Boyfriend and its sequel, Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star will no longer be available on certain platforms after May 2021. These platforms are iOS, Andriod, and the PSN store. Those who already own these games on the aforementioned platforms will still be able to own them, but no more updates will likely come to them unless they are relisted at some point in the future.
The reason behind this delisting is due to the publishing agreement between Hatoful Boyfriend's creator and its publisher coming to an end. Those who still wish to purchase the game, however, can still buy the English translation on Steam, as that isn't involved in the publishing agreement causing this delisting. At this time Hatoful Boyfriend is available for a base price of $9.99 USD. Prospective players can also purchase the Hatoful Boyfriend Complete Pack Bundle for $25.56 USD.
This news was initially put out by Moa, the original creator of Hatoful Boyfriend, on her Twitter page. She additionally clarified that any further questions on the matter should be sent to Mediatonic as it has the authority to make decisions on Hatoful Boyfriend's publishing and not her. It is currently unknown if the Hatoful games will be returning to PSN, iOS, or Android at any point.
The publisher behind the current version of Hatoful Boyfriend is well known indie game publisher Devolver Digital. Some may recognize it behind the publishing of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, Enter the Gungeon, Hotline Miami, and the Serious Sam games. It is known that Devolver Digital became involved with Hatoful Boyfriend when it was remade by Mediatonic in 2014. This would make the publishing contract having lasted around seven years. With not much having come out of Hatoful Boyfriend as a series in a while, it is probably unlikely that Devolver Digital will publish the games once more. Once again, however, the status of renewal is unknown.
Hatoful Boyfriend is currently available on Steam for Mac and PC.
Source: Moa | Twitter