StudioMDHR’s 1930’s-inspired, run-and-gun platformer Cuphead is making its way to Nintendo Switch next month. The news came via Nintendo’s Nindies Spring Showcase for GDC 2019, which opened with the Cuphead announcement. The showcase outlines a huge list of over a dozen indie games scheduled for Nintendo Switch consoles later this year.
Cuphead initially launched on both Xbox One and PC as a timed Microsoft exclusive back in 2017. The punishing platformer will be ported to the Nintendo Switch in April. During today’s Nindies Showcase, Nintendo even made a point to thank “our friends at Microsoft” for helping bring the game to the Switch, a nice gesture in a divisive era of console exclusivity.
According to a post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft is working with StudioMDHR to try to bring Xbox Live features to the Nintendo Switch version of the game. “We’ll be working with StudioMDHR to implement Xbox Live features into Cuphead on the Nintendo Switch in the coming months,” says Microsoft. “Given the early stage of our work with StudioMDHR, the Xbox Live features will appear in a post-launch update to Cuphead on Nintendo Switch.”
It will be interesting to see how Xbox Live features like Gamerscores, stats, and achievements work on the Switch version. Nevertheless, it’s refreshing to see big companies like Microsoft and Nintendo working together to create a user-friendly product for gamers.
Cuphead will release for Nintendo Switch on April 18, 2019. Pre-purchases are available in the Nintendo eShop starting today. You can check out Nintendo’s indie game lineup in the full Nindies Spring Showcase below.