Roughly a year after its original release, it looks like Xbox console exclusive Hi-Fi Rush is indeed headed to new platforms.
Hi-Fi Rush was released in early 2023 and received strong praise for its distinct art style and unique rhythm-based combat. We wrote in our review, “I swear Hi-Fi Rush could be a premier cartoon series. It’s got best-in-class animation, endearing heroes to cheer for, and villains you love to hate, all wrapped in good-natured humor.”
— Wario64 (@Wario64) February 1, 2024
Hi-Fi Rush was held up as a solid example of Xbox’s console exclusives strategy, but newly-datamined t-shirt textures appear to suggest it won’t be a console exclusive for much longer. They include a red t-shirt that says “Rock Out! Anywhere” — an apparent reference to the Nintendo Switch — and a blue t-shirt that says “I’m here Baby,” which fans have interpreted as a nod to the PlayStation.
Xbox and Epic Game Store get references as well, with the former being a green t-shirt that reads, “Shadow Dropped” — a nod to Hi-Fi Rush’s surprise release in 2023. The in-game t-shirt are part of a broader collection released as part of Hi-Fi Rush’s one-year anniversary update, which quickly spread among fans on Reddit. Verge reporter Tom Warren subsequently corroborated the datamine on X/Twitter.
The datamined info adds additional fuel to rumors that Hi-Fi Rush is headed to rival consoles, which have been circling since last week. The rumors have sparked speculation on Xbox’s overall approach to first-party exclusives going forward.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has further fueled the rumors by saying that Xbox can be a “good publisher” across all platforms. “We love gaming. In fact, Flight Simulator was created before even Windows. But, we were number three, number four. And now with Activision, I think we have a chance of being a good publisher — quite frankly — on Sony and Nintendo and PCs and Xbox. We’re excited about that acquisition closing and I’m glad we’ve got it through.”
For now, Xbox is sticking to console exclusives, with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Hellblade 2 both slated to release in the first half of 2024.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
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