Soulslike Enotria: The Last Song delayed indefinitely on Xbox as dev says it's being ignored by Microsoft
UPDATE: Studio publicly thanks Microsoft boss Phil Spencer as resolution reached.
UPDATE 4/9/2024 5.30pm: Following reports an Xbox release for upcoming Soulslike Enotria: The Last Song is back on the cards after intervention by Microsoft, amid claims it had ignored developer Jyamma Games for months, the studio has made it official.
"We would like to officially thank Phil Spencer and his team for reaching out so promptly and helping to resolve our situation," Jyamma wrote in a statement shared on social media. "We would also like to thanks our amazing community for all the support shown in the recent days. Your voice has been heard very loud and clear, and your commitment has been heartwarming."
Jyamma adds it is now "working closely with Microsoft" and hopes this will lead to Enoria's release on Xbox "as soon as possible". Currently, the PlayStation 5 and PC versions of the game are due to arrive on 18th September, but it's unclear if today's development will provide enough time for a simultaneous Xbox launch.
UPDATE 4/9/2024, 1.15pm: Microsoft has reportedly apologised to Jyamma Games following claims from the Enotria: The Last Song developer it was being ignored by the Xbox maker.
Earlier this week, Jyamma Games announced it had indefinitely delayed the Xbox release of Enotria: The Last Song, claiming Microsoft had "decided to ignore us" as it attempted to navigate certification on the platform.
Microsoft has now reportedly reached out to the developer and apologised. "They contacted us and said sorry about the situation, we're trying to solve everything as soon as possible," Jyamma Games' CEO Jacky Greco wrote on Discord this morning. "We will tell more to community asap."
The original story continues below.
ORIGINAL 2/9/2024: Enotria: The Last Song, the "summer Soulslike" from Italian indie developer Jyamma Games, has been delayed indefinitely on Xbox - just weeks before its planned 19th September release - with the studio claiming Microsoft has "decided to ignore us" as it attempts to navigate certification.
Enotria - a third-person action-adventure set in a sun-lit world inspired by Italian folklore - has had an erratic relationship with Microsoft's platform so far. Back in March, Jyamma revealed it would no longer be launching Enotria on Xbox at the same time as other platforms, so it could focus its efforts on creating a "superior experience for PC and PS5 players".
However, two months later, it announced a revised release date - shifting the game's launch from August to September - with an Xbox version suddenly back on the cards. But Jyamma is now slamming the brakes on once more, delaying Enotria: The Last Song indefinitely on Xbox as a result of what it initially only referred to as "challenges".
As spotted by Windows Central, though, Jyamma CEO Jacky Greco later went into additional detail on Discord. Following a community manager's statement dismissing speculation the studio had been "paid by Sony", Greco shared his own frustrations relating to the delay. "You can ask Xbox why they haven't answered us for two months," he wrote. "Obviously they don't care about Enotria and they don't care about you... We've Xbox Series X/S version ready, but we can't proceed with submission and release, I spent a lot of money for porting and they decided to ignore us."
A similar statement also appeared on Enotria's X/Twitter feed. After a fan inquired about the "main challenge" holding up release, Jyamma wrote, "Communication with Xbox. The game works fine on Series S and X but we cannot go through the submission process and they can take even two months to reply to us."
Greco later shared a little more on the issue the studio had enountered, explaining it was unable to open Enotria's Xbox store page and submit the game - something Microsoft's support teams reportedly initially took responsibility for, before further communications were ignored. "We really want to release the game on Xbox ASAP," Jyamma added elsewhere, "but with lack of communication on their side it is a hard task indeed."
The suggestion seems to be things might be resolved pretty quickly if Jyamma could get a response from Microsoft, but in the meantime, Enotria: The Last Song will only be available for PlayStation 5 and PC when it launches on 19th September.