Hi-Fi Rush T-shirt datamine offers more evidence of Switch, PlayStation release
"I'm here baby!".
Last week, developer Tango Gameworks distributed a relatively minor Hi-Fi Rush update to celebrate the first anniversary of its acclaimed rhythm-brawler's release; however, dataminers poking around the update's innards are now claiming to have found further evidence - in the form of unique T-shirt designs - that a PlayStation and Switch launch is on the way.
Reports that the previously PC and Xbox exclusive Hi-Fi Rush could be making its way to PlayStation and Switch first began circulating in January, after a number of reliable leakers started expanding on claims by insider Nate the Hate that Microsoft was set to "one of [its] more acclaimed first party releases to a competitor system" this year.
And while there's been no sign of an official announcement to back up those reports in the weeks since, datamined discoveries in Hi-Fi Rush's latest update (thanks Wario64) have lent further credence to the rumours. Patch 7, as last week's update is officially known, includes an Anniversary T-Shirt Bundle containing new clothing for Chai to wear. Four of these designs are available to everyone, while three are exclusive to the platform - Xbox, Steam, or the Epic Games Store - players own the game on. However, a number of dataminers are now claiming to have unearthed two additional, unused T-shirts in the update, looking suspiciously like exclusive designs for Switch and PlayStation.
One of these, in Nintendo's signature red and white, reads, "Rock out! Anywhere" - a slogan perfectly befitting Switch's portable play - while the second design, in PlayStation blue, features Chai's silhouette and the words, "I'm here baby!".
Assuming their authenticity, it is, alas, impossible to draw any definitive conclusions from their discovery; perhaps they're pointing to a Switch and PlayStation release for Hi-Fi Rush, perhaps they're pointing to a once-planned but now-abandoned launch. It could even be Tango Gameworks having a bit of cheeky fun at the expense of everyone on the back of January's rumours - only an official announcement from Microsoft will settle the matter once and for all.
All being as it seems, though, their discovery is interesting not just because of Hi-Fi Rush, but because of subsequent rumours that other previously Xbox-exclusive first-party games are preparing to jump to PlayStation and Switch - Sea of Thieves having been called out by name on more than one occassion. It could certainly be an interesting year for Xbox.