Unicorn Overlord Dev Comments on PC Port Chances

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Summary

  • Vanillaware currently has no plans for a Unicorn Overlord PC port.
  • Publisher Atlus previously expressed interest in a PC version of the game, but the decision ultimately rests with Vanillaware.



A PC port of Unicorn Overlord is not in the works, a senior Vanillaware official confirmed. The critically acclaimed tactical RPG will therefore remain confined to consoles for the foreseeable future, perhaps forever.

Vanillaware has historically focused on single platform development, creating games for one system at a time. prior to Unicorn Overlordthe only time he deviated from this pattern was with Dragon Crownan action RPG that the studio released for both PS3 and PS Vita in 2013. Unicorn Overlord marked the company's first comprehensive multi-platform release, debuting simultaneously on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch in March 2024. But like all Vanillaware games, they're excluding the 2006 debut title. Fantasy Earth ZeroSRPG ended up skipping PC.


Key art for Unicorn Overlord

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Asked about the possibility of Unicorn Overlord PC port, game director Takafumi Noma recently told GamesRadar+ that no such project is in the works. “We have no plans for a PC version at this time,” the industry veteran explained. His comment came about nine months after producer Akiyasu Yamamoto also said that the Japanese studio had no plans to bring the game to PC. Neither Noma nor Yamamoto went into detail about what exactly is holding back a PC version Unicorn Overlord from materialization.


Unicorn Overlord's publisher wanted a PC port

In a March 2024 interview with Destructoid, Yamamoto explained this Unicorn Overlord publisher Atlus would have preferred to offer a PC port of the game. However, the final decision ultimately rested with Vanillaware. given that Unicorn Overlord was in development for 10 years, making yet another version of the game may have stretched Vanillaware's resources too much. At the same time, it doesn't seem like the port couldn't have been handled externally, which is a feasible option when working with an experienced publisher the size of Atlus or parent company Sega.


We have no plans to [Unicorn Overlord] PC version at this time.

Unicorn Overlord is selling well even without a PC port

Skipping PC didn't stop the critically acclaimed SRPG from selling well. According to the latest update from Atlus, Unicorn Overlord it surpassed one million sales at the end of September 2024, just over six months after its release. Even though Vanillaware hasn't repeatedly dismissed the possibility of a PC port, the company's track record suggests that the game's chances of making it to PC were never high to begin with. So far, Vanillaware has only worked on one port: the Switch version of the 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rimreleased in 2022, three years after its PS4 debut.

Although the Japanese studio remains reluctant to bring its titles to PC, Unicorn OverlordIts multi-console release at least suggests that future Vanillaware titles may no longer be platform exclusives. This shift to multi-platform publishing could be partially attributed to Atlus, which recently adopted a similar strategy with notable success.


Source: Destructoid

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