The Windows Store is still in bad shape for anyone to consider using that platform as their go-to place to buy games, even if it is the only way to get Xbox-exclusive games. The Xbox team has always admitted that it’s still a long way to go, but are very open to the idea of releasing their exclusives outside of the Windows Store. We have seen that with Remedy’s Quantum Break being available on Steam right now.
And now another game joins the foray. Killer Instinct, the 2013 reboot spearheaded by Double Helix Games and then taken over by Iron Galaxy, will make its way on to Steam. The announcement was made at the end of the CEO fighting game tournament, right after the Killer Instinct Grand Finals. A tweet later reconfirm this announcement.
That's right, KI is coming to Steam later this year! Thanks to @CEOJebailey for helping us break the news. More details to follow.
— Killer Instinct (@KillerInstinct) June 17, 2017
Killer Instinct has been receiving three seasons worth of content, as well as additional characters outside of a new season- new character Eagle has just been added to the roster which you can see the video of him below. It has a free-to-play scheme, you will get one character rotated once in a while but you can either buy the characters one by one or in bundles. Characters need to be bought in order to play certain game modes.
This announcement will be again a double-edged sword. While we think it’s always good that games are being made available in more platforms, it will muddle the description of an Xbox-exclusive game. If it’s on the Xbox One, a Windows 10 PC and also any other PC, why buy an Xbox? While that may be the point- Microsoft getting your money without you investing in their ecosystem- for some this will just be a sign of weakness.
But hey, there’s a new game that you might have missed when it first launched on the Windows Store last year. It’s a really solid fighting game.