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Ori and the Blind Forest won't come to Linux for now, thanks to Microsoft

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For those waiting and hoping for Ori and the Blind Forest to come to Linux, your wait may be longer than expected.

Here's a direct quote from the developer:
thomasmahlerGuys, making ports isn't something we as the developers can decide upon - We signed Ori and the Blind Forest with Microsoft, they paid for the party, so they call the shots. For the time being, Ori will only be available on Microsoft-owned platforms, such as Xbox, Win10, PC.


Other Microsoft published games have made their way to Linux, so it's not out of the question. It depends what sort of publishing deal they signed, still a damn shame though.

About the game
The forest of Nibel is dying. After a powerful storm sets a series of devastating events in motion, an unlikely hero must journey to find his courage and confront a dark nemesis to save his home. “Ori and the Blind Forest” tells the tale of a young orphan destined for heroics, through a visually stunning action-platformer crafted by Moon Studios for PC. Featuring hand-painted artwork, meticulously animated character performance, and a fully orchestrated score, “Ori and the Blind Forest” explores a deeply emotional story about love and sacrifice, and the hope that exists in us all.

Thanks for pointing it out FutureSuture. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Platformer, Steam
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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Eike Dec 30, 2015
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Must be fear.
Kristian Dec 30, 2015
"Other Microsoft published games have made their way to Linux, so it's not out of the question."

AFAIK only games where MS formally has "published" on Xbox 360 and/or Xbox One. IIRC you can't or atleast couldn't self-publish on XBLA. Minecraft was on Linux before Microsoft acquired Mojang so that doesn't count either.

"they paid for the party"

I don't think any game where that is the case has come to Linux.

I am pretty sure the indie games you are probably thinking about were all self-published on the PC side of things or atleast had a publisher other than MS for the PC version(s).


Last edited by Kristian on 30 December 2015 at 8:57 pm UTC
Avehicle7887 Dec 30, 2015
Ehhh, not sure why devs keep making these kind of deals, if they were lacking funds I can understand that but on the other side of the coin, there are alternative ways of obtaining funds such as kickstarter.

I'm sure they've had their reasons but looking at the bigger picture here they're leaving 3 platforms dry which could mean some good profit, especially from the PS4 side.
PublicNuisance Dec 30, 2015
I understand how the developer is hamstrung and don't fully blame them. It was a bad deal to sign though. Hopefully crowdfunding can reduce the number of deals like this.
Eike Dec 30, 2015
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Quoting: Avehicle7887Ehhh, not sure why devs keep making these kind of deals, if they were lacking funds I can understand that but on the other side of the coin, there are alternative ways of obtaining funds such as kickstarter.

I'm sure they've had their reasons but looking at the bigger picture here they're leaving 3 platforms dry which could mean some good profit, especially from the PS4 side.

It's probably safe money versus taking a chance.
I understand taking the safe side.
ElectricPrism Dec 30, 2015
Quoting: Eike
Quoting: Avehicle7887Ehhh, not sure why devs keep making these kind of deals, if they were lacking funds I can understand that but on the other side of the coin, there are alternative ways of obtaining funds such as kickstarter.

I'm sure they've had their reasons but looking at the bigger picture here they're leaving 3 platforms dry which could mean some good profit, especially from the PS4 side.

It's probably safe money versus taking a chance.
I understand taking the safe side.

1) Or a dev could literally think about their destination before beginning to code and selecting the games libraries, and causing a dependency entrenchment.

2) Or a dev could code in a Interface class to abstract library access to make porting as simple as dropping in a new Interface to Linux/Mac libraries.

3 ) Or a dev could maintain a optimistic view without falsely coercing a crowd to gather excitement for X game.

Nothing personal, but when a dev fails to release for Linux this is what crosses my mind

"I don't know how to code outside Microsoft Visual Studio 2015",
"I don't know how to Linux - looks like DOS to me, choice is confusing",
"Android is Linux? What?"


Last edited by ElectricPrism on 30 December 2015 at 9:20 pm UTC
M@GOid Dec 30, 2015
Dust: A Elysian Tail has a Microsoft Studios logo in the opening. Mark of the Ninja and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet are also published in Steam by Microsoft Studios.

So, to me is perfectly possible Ori to apear in an non Microsoft platform
Eike Dec 30, 2015
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Quoting: ElectricPrismNothing personal, but when a dev fails to release for Linux this is what crosses my mind

Sorry, but developers take publishers for a long time now, independent of Linux or any other platform.
For a reason, I guess.
And it's not a technical one.
Arehandoro Dec 30, 2015
Quoting: Kristian"they paid for the party"

I don't think any game where that is the case has come to Linux.

Well, that's true but will always depend on the terms of the contract. As an example, Mass Effect was paid by Microsoft, and a exclusive, and years after the release was able to be published on PS3.
neowiz73 Dec 30, 2015
just like many have stated, they'll just have to wait until the contract agreement is up before porting to other platforms, if they deem it worthwhile. if nothing else I hope one of our esteemed Linux porting companies will do the honors later :)
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