Valheim won't come to PlayStation as soon as its Xbox exclusivity ends
A recent Game Pass email spurred speculation of a PlayStation port
Valheim has an Xbox console exclusivity period of six months, but developer Iron Gate doesn't currently have a PlayStation version of the game planned.
As reported by Twisted Voxel, an email sent out to Xbox Game Pass subscribers notifies them of Valheim's console launch via the subscription service as of last week. However, the email also reveals via fine print that Xbox has a six-months console exclusivity period for Valheim.
This doesn't mean a PlayStation version is automatically in the works, though. Speaking to 12DOVE, Henrik Törnqvist, co-founder of Iron Gate said that "currently, we only have plans for Valheim on Xbox." That's a pretty clear-cut comment that PlayStation users shouldn't expect Valheim to launch on their consoles after the six months is over.
A good example of a port of a game not being guaranteed after an exclusivity period ends is Final Fantasy 16. It was revealed Square Enix had signed a six-month exclusivity deal with PlayStation, but game producer Naoki Yoshida said the PC version of Final Fantasy 16 wouldn't launch immediately after the exclusivity period ends.
"It is true that Final Fantasy 16 is a six-month timed exclusive on the PS5 platform," Yoshida said at the time. "However, that and the PC version coming out six months later are two completely different stories. I want to make it clear that the PC version will not be released in six months." Developer Iron Gate is very much taking the same route as Yoshida and company.
Check out our Valheim Xbox impressions for what we made of the most recent version of Iron Gate's game.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.