Skullgirls 2nd Encore is finally getting an Xbox launch, about eight years after its final update on Xbox 360. From July 19, Skullgirls will be available on Xbox One and Series X/S, setting players back $24.99.
This long-awaited release date reveal comes after the Xbox port was delayed indefinitely in October 2019. In that time, it has been available on PlayStation, Switch, and PC, with the devs saying that it wouldn't be ready for Xbox due to "unforeseen development and production challenges." It's not clear why it took so much longer to get running on Xbox platforms, especially since they are considerably more powerful than Switch. But in any case, Xbox owners will be able to pick up the game in just under two weeks, at least according to a store page that just popped up online
While news of this long-awaited port is bound to excite many fans, it comes at an interesting time for the cult hit fighting game. Just last week, Skullgirls made headlines when developer Reverge Labs announced that several aspects of the game would be modified in instances where the material no longer "reflects [their] values". In practice, this meant removing images and material which sexualised minors and Nazi uniforms.
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However, it also removed other content, like the Soviet Announcer voice pack that was initially a bonus for the game's crowdfunding campaign. It's not clear why this was completely removed in the update, but it may be because the voice work was provided by Mike Zaimont - the original lead design director for Skullgirls. He was removed from ongoing development following allegations that he created an "unsafe work environment" through behaviours such as verbal abuse, racism and sexual misconduct.
It's not clear if the Xbox release has anything to do with the huge content overhaul in Skullgirls 2nd Encore, but the timing certainly is interesting. That being said, Skullgirls originally launched more than ten years ago now, so it's hardly surprising that the devs aren't ready to stand behind everything that's been in the game since then. Yet given the ongoing backlash to these update, we probably shouldn't expect to see anything similar happen in the future, so it seems like this is the version of Skullgirls that the devs are sticking to for now.
The Xbox port doesn't seem to have been officially unveiled just yet, but the store page is live on the console already, so we know it's happening. It will hit Xbox One and Series X/S on July 19, complete with all of the features that other platforms have access to.