- Squanch Games CEO Mike Fridley says the PS5 version of High in life 2 is the studio’s leading platform despite the first game’s Xbox exclusivity deal
- Unlike the first game, the High in life The sequel will be released simultaneously on Xbox and PlayStation.
- Fridley says it was “a pretty easy business decision, as far as just looking at the sales figures in the first [game]”
Squanch Games CEO Mike Fridley has said that the launch High in life 2 simultaneously on Xbox and PlayStation was a “no brainer” after the first game’s long Xbox exclusivity window.
In an interview with TechRadar Gaming ahead of the game’s release this week, Fridley discussed the decision to bring the High in life sequel for all platforms at the same time, following a deal with Microsoft that saw the first exclusive game for Xbox for a period of time.
The first High in life The game launched in December 2022 as a console exclusive for Xbox Series
However, this time, Squanch Games is launching High in life 2 on Xbox and PlayStation on the same date, and will even be available through Xbox Game Pass, which Fridley notes was “definitely part of the consideration” due to Microsoft’s help with the original.
Speaking about the sales the studio may lose through Game Pass, Fridley isn’t sure if the game’s exposure outweighs “the potential cannibalization of sales,” but he’s sure it will “help establish an IP for a bunch of people to play your game,” adding, “if your game is good and you want a bunch of people to play it, getting it on Game Pass is great.”
Even after the success of the first game, the CEO added that “we’re still in a franchise-building mode” and wants as many people as possible to learn about the studio, explaining that “the best way to do that is to give it away for free and get as many people as possible to get their hands on it.”
Although High in life achieved success with its brief deal with Xbox, Fridley commented that the PlayStation version of High in life 2 is its primary platform, saying, “surprisingly even after a delay in Sony’s launch [on PS4 and PS5] – due to an exclusivity clause with the first game that Microsoft had – is [PlayStation] our leading platform,” said Fridley.
When asked if that was a factor in the sequel releasing simultaneously on PlayStation, he said: “That was a no-brainer, like our main platform is Sony, Steam is right behind in terms of units sold.”
He continued: “If you’re a PlayStation gamer, you’re going to buy it on PlayStation. You’re not going to play it on Game Pass, and with the recent increase in Game Pass subscriptions, I’m sure they’ve probably seen subscriber numbers drop a little bit; so those people have to play it somewhere.”
Despite Fridley’s comment, it’s worth mentioning that we can’t prove that Xbox Game Pass subscriber numbers have decreased due to recent price increases.
“It was a pretty easy business decision, as far as just looking at the sales numbers of the first one and not having that exclusivity this time to release it on all platforms,” Fridley said, adding that outside of sales, “it’s just cheaper. We don’t have to do two marketing efforts…we’re just leveraging our own marketing to sell the same copy.”
High in life 2 launches on PS5, Xbox Series
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