As reported by PureXbox, the developers behind Absolum have explained why the game skipped Xbox at launch. Despite having released titles on Xbox before, the team addressed the absence directly in its official Discord server.
Absolum is currently performing strongly on Steam and has been received well by critics, sitting at an impressive 86 on Metacritic from 34 reviews. With the game launching on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch, many Xbox fans have been left wondering why Microsoft’s platform was left out this time.
Let’s take a closer look at what the developers had to say, and why Xbox wasn’t a priority for this otherwise highly praised release.
What actually is Absolum?
Absolum is a roguelite beat ‘em up that blends classic side-scrolling brawler combat with modern progression systems. It takes inspiration from the likes of Streets of Rage while introducing its own fresh twists and roguelite structure.
Developed by Dotemu, the studio behind Streets of Rage 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, Absolum was created in collaboration with Guard Crush Games and Supamonks Studio — the same teams that helped bring those titles to life on Xbox. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is also listed under Dotemu’s publishing banner, as noted by Pure Xbox.
The game launched on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on October 9, 2025, quickly breaking into the Top 15 sellers on Steam. Critics have praised it for its tight, satisfying combat and strong presentation.
What stood out to me most, though, is that Absolum supports two-player co-op, both locally and online — something I wish more games in the genre would offer. As a long-time fan of titles like Castle Crashers, this is exactly the kind of feature that keeps me coming back to a good beat ‘em up as I always enjoy them more with friends.
Why Xbox Wasn’t a Priority This Time
In Absolum’s official Discord server, the community manager, Pixel Perfect, spoke about the game’s Xbox release—or rather, the lack of one.
The team behind Absolum are about as small as our in-game resistance movement. Because of the team size (as with all similar titles) we have to prioritise here and there. It's pretty rare for us to release on EVERY platform and in this case, Xbox just wasn't a priority and it's not in our plans for THIS title
Pixel Perfect - Community Manager
Comments made as recently as October 10, 2025, also confirm that an Xbox version isn’t currently being considered. The same community manager added:
Hey there. Xbox is not a platform we're currently looking to release on for Absolum
Pixel Perfect - Community Manager
While that’s disappointing news for Xbox fans, those using the ROG Ally can still play the game through Steam if they’re happy to buy it there.
Could an Xbox Version Still Happen?
The door is likely never fully closed. Absolum has performed well across platforms, and while Xbox isn’t a priority right now, success elsewhere could give the team the resources it needs to make an Xbox version happen. As a small development team, that kind of growth could make all the difference.
It’s clear that an incredible amount of work went into creating Absolum. A recent interview with PC Gamer highlights the challenges behind its design, with Maxime Mary, the game’s art director, explaining the importance of visual clarity:
We had to be careful … because there are a lot of enemies, special effects, but also rich environments, we had to find a way to create several layers of readability … the player has to be able to see the anticipation frames … and see a significant difference in the next move … the silhouette of the character moving forward, up, down had to be the clearest we could get.
Maxime Mary - Art Director on Absolum
Mary also revealed that every element in Absolum was painstakingly hand drawn:
“We animated the characters as we usually do in an animated show or movie. Everything was hand drawn, no puppet or CG … going back to an animation that needed a modification was often redrawing everything from the start … the inked style … made the process quite heavy.”
Maxime Mary - Art Director on Absolum
That level of thoughtfulness shows how much care went into the game.
While Xbox fans miss out for now, the studio’s passion and attention to detail are evident. Hopefully, the game’s success on other platforms will give the team a reason to consider an Xbox release in the future — and if that happens, let’s hope it arrives as an Xbox Play Anywhere title so we can switch between console and handheld seamlessly.
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