One of the biggest questions that video game developers have to answer when making a gaming title is, “What platform will we build the game for?” If the company is already under the banner of a publisher, that question is easy to answer. However, if they’re a 3rd party company, they have much more freedom to choose where their title goes but also have to deal with the potential difficulties of putting it on several systems. Vanillaware is experienced in doing multiplatform titles, and their latest game, Unicorn Overlord, wasn’t just multiplatform, but it’s already sold over half a million units. That shows the game continues the developer’s legacy of making quality titles.
However, while many are enjoying the title right now, an interview with GameBraves revealed that the game was actually supposed to come out in a previous generation and was meant to be much more exclusive than it was upon its release this year:
“When Atlus and Vanillaware began work on Unicorn Overlord in 2016, the game was only intended for the PS4 and PS Vita. However, the gaming industry has gone through some radical changes over the past 8 years, and as a result, Vanillaware was asked to give Unicorn Overlord a simultaneous worldwide release and expand its development to the PS5, Switch, and Xbox X/S.”
That’s interesting for various reasons, not the least is that the Vita isn’t around anymore and wasn’t exactly the biggest success of Sony’s roster. The PS4 being the “main focus” makes sense, though, as that platform was one of the best-selling systems ever. One can only wonder what would’ve happened if the game had been released back then. Would it have sold as well? Would it have gotten the buzz that certain other Vanillaware games did? We’ll never know, and maybe that’s for the best in this case.
The interview also highlighted certain other things from the game’s team. For example, there is no DLC planned for the title, which is a departure from how certain other video game developers would handle things in today’s gaming age.
Another thing the team talked about was trying to do things differently than previous titles in the tactics-style genre had done. That included working on the game’s first few hours so gamers could get into it without “enduring a huge learning curve.” They also worked to make the demo something that players could easily get into and enjoy.
Given the game’s sales success so far, it’s fair to say that they succeeded.
