Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One coming to PS4 but cancelled on Xbox One due to war in Ukraine
"Life is a bit strange at the moment."
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One is coming to PS4 later this month, but the Xbox One version has been cancelled.
Frogwares, the Ukrainian developer behind the game, shared a statement stating that the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game were held back to improve optimisation.
However, thanks to the amount of work and the impact of the war, the Xbox One version has been put on hold indefinitely. Anyone with a pre-order on Xbox One can receive a full refund.
The statement reads: "From September of last year right until February of 2022, we worked hard on optimising our game for PC and both old and current generation consoles. During that time we discovered that the scope of the work was bigger than assessed. So last year we made the decision to release the PS5 and Xbox series X|S versions first, and work on optimising the old gen versions.
"After the validation of Chapter One on current-gen in October, we kept on working on optimizing the PS4 and Xbox One versions. We've tried to squeeze out as much from the old gens as possible. A lot of invisible work was done, but also as visible as changes to the map of the city on the PS4 and Xbox One versions so that the game could run smoother (we cut certain alleyways, shortcuts, etc). And as we were getting closer and closer to finalizing those versions, war happened.
"To say that the war made an impact on us is probably the understatement of the decade. Keeping our personal and mental situation out of this, the war impacted us from a production point of view heavily. From where we stand now, with the resources and manpower that we have, we can release the PS4 version of Chapter One on April 28th. However, we have to postpone the Xbox One version.
"To say we're not happy about this is putting it subtly. We want to see our games on as many platforms as possible. We see that there are a lot of you waiting for the Xbox One version. We're also disappointed because we've invested time and money in this version which is put on hold indefinitely. It's also money lost from potential future income which is important for an independent studio like us."
It continues: "Once again, thank you all for your patience. And thank you all for your kind words and support. The fact that many of you even offered us a place to stay in your homes is beyond "wow". And as always, any comments or questions, post away. We will try to answer as fast and as many of them as we can - life is a bit strange at the moment."
The PS4 version of Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One will release on 28th April. The game is already available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Last month the studio announced new DLC released for the game, available now.