Following the recent Nintendo Direct showcase of Kickstarter-backed RPG Sea of Stars, backers on Xbox are questioning whether a port for their platform is still planned. As those who have supported Kickstarter projects before know, projects don't always come to fruition as hoped -- if at all. Sea of Stars is moving closer to its announced launch date of August 29, but no mention of support for Xbox platforms has been made recently, and Kickstarter backers don't know what to think.The Kickstarter for Sea of Stars wrapped up in 2020, raising CA$ 1,628,126 despite a humble goal of just CA$ 133,000. As part of the Sea of Stars campaign, developer Sabotage Studio told backers that the RPG would be released for all current (at the time) generation platforms. While PS4, Switch, and Xbox One weren't explicitly stated in the campaign, support for those consoles was implicit. However, since then Sabotage Game has explicitly confirmed all of these platforms except Xbox.Those that backed the Sea of Stars Kickstarter expecting to receive a digital code for an Xbox platform are now growing frustrated. Sea of Stars was yet again featured in a major event, this time in the latest Nintendo Direct, and trailers have not mentioned support for Xbox platforms. A Twitter user asked about the omission, questioning if Sea of Stars will begin offering refunds to Xbox users. But Sabotage Studio responded cryptically.
Instead of either confirming support for Xbox or saying that refunds will be issued, the Twitter account reiterated that Sea of Stars will be brought "to as many players as possible" and that plans haven't changed. As an explanation, Sabotage says that there is "a lot happening behind the scene[s]" and that there's still plenty of time before launch for a "last platform announcement." The message tells the Xbox user to stay tuned.
The message being conveyed by Sabotage Studio seems to be that Sea of Stars will be coming to Xbox platforms, but the development team can't say so directly at this time. The reasons why are left ambiguous. There could be anything from an advertising partnership with Nintendo or PlayStation, to an agreement with Xbox to bring the game to Xbox Game Pass. Waiting to make an Xbox announcement is likely a contractual obligation.
Regardless of the reasons, Xbox users' frustrations are understandable. Supporting a Kickstarter project shouldn't result in years of confusion over whether backers will get what they paid for. With that said, it'd be understandable if Sabotage made an agreement for additional development funding, even if it hurt Xbox backers. It's disappointing, but it will hopefully lead to a better game -- for all platforms -- when Sea of Stars arrives later this year.
Sea of Stars releases on PC, PS4, PS5, and Switch starting August 29.
Source: Pure Xbox
