XCOM 2 Dev "Not Opposed" to Xbox One, PS4 Versions

When XCOM 2 launches later this year, it will--unlike its predecessor--be available exclusively on PC. Developer Firaxis hasn't shot down the possibility of it coming to Xbox One or PS4 in the future, and it's now explained the rationale behind forgoing a simultaneous launch on consoles.

"When we looked at what we wanted to do with the sequel, we had all these very, very ambitious goals," creative director Jake Solomon told IGN. This includes things like improved destruction and procedurally generated levels, which would require the relatively small team at Firaxis "to use all of our studio expertise … and our expertise here is PC. That's our home, and that's where we're really comfortable."

"When we have our meetings, when we talk about stuff, we only talk about PC," Solomon explained. "We talk about 'What is the experience like on PC? What does the mouse feel like in this experience?'"

Focusing exclusively on PC right out of the gate means XCOM 2 will be better tailored to a keyboard-and-mouse control scheme and interface. (Controller support is planned for post-launch.) And knowing that players are likely to be sitting closer to their screen than they would be on consoles, Firaxis is free to provide more information. This is said to include things like the reasoning for your hit-chance going up or down.

If you're still clinging to the hope that you'll be able to play XCOM 2 on Xbox One or PS4, it sounds like it's possible, but you'll be waiting longer than PC gamers. "We're certainly not opposed to that," Solomon said, "but I can assure that's something we're not even discussing yet."

XCOM 2 is set for release on PC in November. For more, check out our story about its announcement.