Image & Form Games, the developer behind The Gunk, has revealed the reason for the game's Xbox Series X and Xbox One console exclusivity. The game will also be making its way to PC, but is notably absent on both PlayStation consoles and the Switch.

In a blog post, The Gunk Developer Brjann Sigurgeirsson revealed that one of the early hurdles was the developer's "defensive urge to 'hold the game back' to ensure The Gunk would run comfortably on any platform." Sigurgeirsson went on to say that choices had to be made, and in the end, the developer decided to pursue "the grand vision," rather than sacrifice the game's quality to appear on more platforms.

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The team eventually decided to talk to Microsoft about its upcoming hardware, in the end landing a console exclusivity deal for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X. Sigurgeirsson did point out that the developer had managed to get solid framerates on under-powered hardware before, but that the increased horsepower was necessary for the team to fully realize its vision.

Currently, the Xbox One X is the most powerful console available to consumers, though the Xbox Series X will claim that title when it launches later this year, at least as far as raw power is concerned. Since the game is appearing on the Xbox One, it could undoubtedly run on the PlayStation 5, and probably even the PS4, though the team was likely offered a deal to keep it on the Xbox platform.

While the PlayStation 5 doesn't appear to be as powerful as the Xbox Series X, a recent survey found that the PlayStation 5 is the most anticipated of the two consoles. Exclusivity contracts are still a solid way for small developers to ensure games are at least somewhat successful, a large part of the reason so many indie games shifted to Epic Games Store exclusivity on PC, so the exclusivity deal still makes sense for Image & Form Games.

Xbox has many studios currently working on projects, from relatively small games like The Gunk to Obsidian's new RPG Avowed. While exclusives are always a major part of the console debate, Xbox has pivoted some, allowing many of its games to appear on PC. More exclusives will be announced in the future, but fans currently have plenty to look forward to.

The Gunk is currently in development for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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Source: Xbox Wire