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[Topher]

Coffee Stain Studios and Iron Gate Studio’s Valheim is a timed console exclusive on Xbox for the duration of 6 months, and it is, therefore, planned for release on PlayStation later on.

According to an email sent out by Microsoft to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on the occasion of the launch of Valheim on its platform, the game is a timed console exclusive for the duration of 6 months, suggesting that it will arrive on PlayStation later on. A screenshot from said email can be seen below.

Towards the bottom of the email, it is explicitly stated that Xbox console exclusivity will extend for a limited time of six months. This opens the window for a PS4 and PS5 launch once the 6 month exclusivity window has expired.

Valheim is a survival and sandbox video game by the Swedish developer Iron Gate Studio and published by Coffee Stain Studios. Early access was made available on 2 February 2021 for Linux and Windows users through Steam, and on 14 March 2023 for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S users. The game was created by a five-person team, which built on Richard Svensson’s development work from a side project he had worked on in his free time. Valheim, hailed as a “rare exception” of a well-done early access game, has enjoyed critical and commercial success since its early access release. Over five million copies had been sold and it was one of the most popular games on Steam a month after its launch.

The game’s setting features a place where dead Vikings go to establish their suitability for the halls of Valhalla. As such, the player starts out without anything and quickly learns that in order to enter the Norse afterlife, they must vanquish the evils that prowl Valheim. They gear up to battle Odin’s sworn enemies, guided only by their instincts and sporadic cues from a raven.

Valheim Is 6 Months Timed Xbox Console Exclusive, Will Come To PlayStation Later

Valheim is a timed console exclusive on Xbox for the duration of 6 months, and it is, therefore, planned for release on PlayStation later on.

twistedvoxel.com

 

[kicker]

This exclusivity shit is getting tiring. Games and their audiences shouldn't be sacrificed/split up for the survival of consoles.

 

[mansoor1980]

how much did MS pay for it?
jimbo should take note of this

 

[Yoboman]

Timed exclusives are good again

 

[diffusionx]

Why did MS pay for console exclusivity on a FOTM PC game that peaked in popularity years ago?

 

[feynoob]

This exclusivity shit is getting tiring. Games and their audiences shouldn't be sacrificed/split up for the survival of consoles.

Its really dumb shit.
Comapnies are willing to sacrifice loyal users for a quick bag.

 

[Chronicle]

Meh. Starfield I'm jelly. Valheim? Meh you can have it.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Timed and 3rd party exclusives only bad when Playstation does it right? Wheres the media outroar?
Oh wait, shills don’t bite the hand that feeds them, they only take orders from Captain Phil Spencer

 

[ANIMAL1975]

 

[bender]

We've seen this a bunch with Game Pass titles.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Why did MS pay for console exclusivity on a FOTM PC game that peaked in popularity years ago?

Peaked in popularity years ago? Its peak concurrent players is Nov 2022, 4 months ago.

Avg 40k concurrent players. That's more than the now avg concurrent players of Spiderman, God of War, Returnal, Days Gone, Uncharted 4 & Horizon Zero dawn combined.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

Game's fun as hell, and shockingly enough I'm still not a fan of 3rd party timed exclusivity. Putting it on Gamepass is more than enough for me, let the PS guys join in on the fun.

 

[VN1X]

I never heard of this game before.
So I watched a video of it.

Microsoft, you actually paid real money to land this as an exclusive?
Why?

It looks like a Wii game.

What an incredibly dumb take.

Game's been very successful on Steam already, partly because of the striking art style.

 

[intbal]

What an incredibly dumb take.

Game's been very successful on Steam already, party because of the striking art style.

"Striking"

I guess that's one way to put it.

 

[TrebleShot]

Peaked in popularity years ago? Its peak concurrent players is Nov 2022, 4 months ago.

Avg 40k concurrent players. That's more than the now avg concurrent players of Spiderman, God of War, Returnal, Days Gone, Uncharted 4 & Horizon Zero dawn combined.

PC game is popular on PC

 

[bender]

Peaked in popularity years ago?

Maybe he was counting in dog years?

 

[Belthazar]

I thought Phil didn't like those kinds of deals.

 

[VN1X]

"Striking"

I guess that's one way to put it.

How old are you? Serious question.

Other than that your drive-by fanboy posting is really cringy as hell. Go farm karma on reddit from fellow plastic-box-hate-boner posters if that gets you off. Otherwise, keep the low tier bullshit away from Gaf.

 

[Thirty7ven]

So very pro consumer, saints if ever there were.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

I never heard of this game before.
So I watched a video of it.

Microsoft, you actually paid real money to land this as an exclusive?
Why?

It looks like a Wii game.

It plays better than any AAA Mediocrity Simulator I've played in the last 5 years.

 

[Spyxos]

Not a fan of these exclusive deals and then Valheim is a strange choice.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

To be fair, nobody is saying exclusivity deals are great, so perhaps no need to give the opposite point of view for 30 pages.

 

[nemiroff]

I'm doing Valheim co-op with my son (I'm on PC, he's on XSX) right now and it's some of the best co-op fun moments we've had recently. Highly recommended.

Anyway, no matter the platform I don't like exclusivity it makes no sense to me as a consumer in 2023.

Edit:

I never heard of this game before.
So I watched a video of it.

Microsoft, you actually paid real money to land this as an exclusive?
Why?

It looks like a Wii game.

But more importantly: It's better than most Wii games.

Funny thing is, my son (eight years old) told me after our first co-op: "Wow, it's funny how a game that looks like this is still so much fun to play!". I made a LOL

 

[lh032]

Peaked in popularity years ago? Its peak concurrent players is Nov 2022, 4 months ago.

Avg 40k concurrent players. That's more than the now avg concurrent players of Spiderman, God of War, Returnal, Days Gone, Uncharted 4 & Horizon Zero dawn combined.

What !? A survival crafting game has higher peak player count compared to SP games ? Wowwwwwwwww

 

[Buggy Loop]

What !? A survival crafting game has higher peak player count compared to SP games ? Wowwwwwwwww

And had a higher peak count than almost all of them, except God of War.

It's sitting on a weekly basis in the 18-25 top played games on Steam

So, i mean, if we want to try to say stupid things like the game peaked "years" ago, i would expect better quality concern trolling than that.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

I thought Phil didn't like those kinds of deals.

He may very well not like it but to be fair for this shit to stop it would have to be like a mutual cease fire from both camps imo

Just random thoughts while I wait for my Hoosiers to take the court

 

[Spitfire098]

To be fair, nobody is saying exclusivity deals are great, so perhaps no need to give the opposite point of view for 30 pages.

Well it's not a PS exclusive so it won't go to 30 pages

 

[Connxtion]

So it’s being portrayed as exclusive because it’s in the preview program. (that’s just because Sony doesn’t have the same program on PS)


The way I see it, is in 6 month PSN will get a finished port instead of a alpha/beta version.

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

Coffee Stain Studios and Iron Gate Studio’s Valheim is a timed console exclusive on Xbox for the duration of 6 months, and it is, therefore, planned for release on PlayStation later on.

According to an email sent out by Microsoft to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on the occasion of the launch of Valheim on its platform, the game is a timed console exclusive for the duration of 6 months, suggesting that it will arrive on PlayStation later on. A screenshot from said email can be seen below.

Towards the bottom of the email, it is explicitly stated that Xbox console exclusivity will extend for a limited time of six months. This opens the window for a PS4 and PS5 launch once the 6 month exclusivity window has expired.

Valheim is a survival and sandbox video game by the Swedish developer Iron Gate Studio and published by Coffee Stain Studios. Early access was made available on 2 February 2021 for Linux and Windows users through Steam, and on 14 March 2023 for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S users. The game was created by a five-person team, which built on Richard Svensson’s development work from a side project he had worked on in his free time. Valheim, hailed as a “rare exception” of a well-done early access game, has enjoyed critical and commercial success since its early access release. Over five million copies had been sold and it was one of the most popular games on Steam a month after its launch.

The game’s setting features a place where dead Vikings go to establish their suitability for the halls of Valhalla. As such, the player starts out without anything and quickly learns that in order to enter the Norse afterlife, they must vanquish the evils that prowl Valheim. They gear up to battle Odin’s sworn enemies, guided only by their instincts and sporadic cues from a raven.

Valheim Is 6 Months Timed Xbox Console Exclusive, Will Come To PlayStation Later

Valheim is a timed console exclusive on Xbox for the duration of 6 months, and it is, therefore, planned for release on PlayStation later on.

twistedvoxel.com

Why would MS send emails to players discussing the length of their business deals?

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

This exclusivity shit is getting tiring. Games and their audiences shouldn't be sacrificed/split up for the survival of consoles.

Welcome to the PS2 era.

I never heard of this game before.
So I watched a video of it.

Microsoft, you actually paid real money to land this as an exclusive?
Why?

It looks like a Wii game.

The game is massively popular but was not on consoles until now.

 

[diffusionx]

And had a higher peak count than almost all of them, except God of War.

It's sitting on a weekly basis in the 18-25 top played games on Steam

So, i mean, if we want to try to say stupid things like the game peaked "years" ago, i would expect better quality concern trolling than that.

Valheim - Steam Charts

An ongoing analysis of Steam's player numbers, seeing what's been played the most.

steamcharts.com

looks like the peak was february 2021

 

[nemiroff]

looks like the peak was february 2021

Who gives a shit, why does this made up concern scenario matter. The game is still good, and exclusivity is still bad.

 

[Jigsaah]

Peaked in popularity years ago? Its peak concurrent players is Nov 2022, 4 months ago.

Avg 40k concurrent players. That's more than the now avg concurrent players of Spiderman, God of War, Returnal, Days Gone, Uncharted 4 & Horizon Zero dawn combined.

Valheim - Steam Charts

An ongoing analysis of Steam's player numbers, seeing what's been played the most.

steamcharts.com

looks like the peak was february 2021

 

[LordCBH]

Timed and 3rd party exclusives only bad when Playstation does it right? Wheres the media outroar?
Oh wait, shills don’t bite the hand that feeds them, they only take orders from Captain Phil Spencer

It’s cause the worlds largest company, or one of the 3 anyway, is the scrappy underdog even though all of their problems are self inflicted.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

 

[MarkMe2525]

Not a fan of timed exclusives myself, but for the sake of argument, this game is in the preview program so not exactly a normal 6 month exclusive agreement. For real question, does PSN allow unfinilized games on their store?

 

[Mr Reasonable]

So it’s being portrayed as exclusive because it’s in the preview program. (that’s just because Sony doesn’t have the same program on PS)


The way I see it, is in 6 month PSN will get a finished port instead of a alpha/beta version.

This, to be fair, is how most games work now.

Buy it 6 months after launch to get the version that is patched and working. (Or even longer!)

Either way, the preview program on Xbox is pretty cool, it's a great opportunity to try games out early for people who like playing games - or to sneer at something, if you like supporting a particular manufacturer more than playing games.

So everyone should be happy in theory.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

I prefer marketing deals over timed exclusivity or locked platform content. Business gonna business though.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

how much did MS pay for it?
jimbo should take note of this

yes cause Sony aren't kings at doing this or anything...

 

[mansoor1980]

yes cause Sony aren't kings at doing this or anything...

 

[JimboJones]

Game is super fun but kind of a grind. Hopefully for the eventual PS release they keep the whole thing cross play between everything and don't have some bs console divide.

 

[reinking]

 

[Three]

To be fair, nobody is saying exclusivity deals are great, so perhaps no need to give the opposite point of view for 30 pages.

Some MS nuts actually think MS don't do these because it's the work of the devil or something.

So it’s being portrayed as exclusive because it’s in the preview program. (that’s just because Sony doesn’t have the same program on PS)


The way I see it, is in 6 month PSN will get a finished port instead of a alpha/beta version.

What on earth gives you the idea that PS doesn't have an early access program?

 

[Buggy Loop]

Valheim - Steam Charts

An ongoing analysis of Steam's player numbers, seeing what's been played the most.

steamcharts.com

looks like the peak was february 2021

Eh, don't know why i didn't see the peaks, can't find one i was looking at earlier, there's so many steam trackers.

So November 2022 is still valid as beating most absolute peaks of Sony's lineup except for god of war. December-January a mere few months ago and its not even close. Peak month on launch is top 10 tier of all concurrent players on Steam, nothing even close from Sony side since they've released games on PC.

It's got legs and it's a good get on gamepass.

Trying to put this game as "nothing" from console crowd is funny. Yes its a survival craft game, HUR DUR PC gamers like those HUR DUR DUR

 

[diffusionx]

Eh, don't know why i didn't see the peaks, can't find one i was looking at earlier, there's so many steam trackers.

So November 2022 is still valid as beating most absolute peaks of Sony's lineup except for god of war. December-January a mere few months ago and its not even close. Peak month on launch is top 10 tier of all concurrent players on Steam, nothing even close from Sony side since they've released games on PC.

It's got legs and it's a good get on gamepass.

Trying to put this game as "nothing" from console crowd is funny. Yes its a survival craft game, HUR DUR PC gamers like those HUR DUR DUR

i don't know why you keep bringing up Sony, it really has nothing to do with this, they're different games, and my post, the one you responded to, did not mention Sony at all.

 

[Three]

Not a fan of timed exclusives myself, but for the sake of argument, this game is in the preview program so not exactly a normal 6 month exclusive agreement. For real question, does PSN allow unfinilized games on their store?

Yes, they have early access. Even sold Dreams in early access themselves.

 

[Corndog]

"Striking"

I guess that's one way to put it.

Does the current generation of gamers enjoy showing how idiotic they are?

So just because you have never heard of the game and it doesn’t have fancy graphics it must be bad.

 

[Rykan]

What an incredibly dumb take.

Game's been very successful on Steam already, party because of the striking art style.

It's successful on Steam because everything with the tags "Open World" Survival" and "Early Access" is successful on Steam.

 

[Raonak]

Eh, don't know why i didn't see the peaks, can't find one i was looking at earlier, there's so many steam trackers.

So November 2022 is still valid as beating most absolute peaks of Sony's lineup except for god of war. December-January a mere few months ago and its not even close. Peak month on launch is top 10 tier of all concurrent players on Steam, nothing even close from Sony side since they've released games on PC.

It's got legs and it's a good get on gamepass.

Trying to put this game as "nothing" from console crowd is funny. Yes its a survival craft game, HUR DUR PC gamers like those HUR DUR DUR

I don't really understand why you're comparing multiplayer player counts to late playstation ports. but ok.

All it's proving is that PC gamers love low quality crafting/gridfest games.

Like look at this shit. is this made in Dreams?

 

[Three]

Who gives a shit, why does this made up concern scenario matter. The game is still good, and exclusivity is still bad.

Man what's with the sensitive people here. He or she was just correcting Buggy Loop who said it peaked in Nov 2022.