CrossCode: Upcoming Updates, DLC and Console Versions!

Hello everyball!

Quite some time has passed since the last Update so we wanted to let you know what we’ve been working on recently and what Updates you can expect next!

Recent Progress and upcoming Updates

With the Newgame+ Feature completed we’re now focusing our work on the Post Game DLC that will add a little Epilogue to the current end of CrossCode. Among other things it will feature things like an extended Rhombus Square, more Quests, and a proper Final Dungeon. And also a few answers to some of the questions you might still have at the end of CrossCode’s story.

Here’s a screenshot without context to give you a little something:

We don’t have a release date for the Post Game DLC yet, as it will still take some time to develop. We’re currently targeting Q2, 2020.

As we’re currently focused on the DLC, we unfortunately don’t have a lot of content ready for regular game update. However, you can expect an upcoming technical update in the next 1-2 weeks, as we plan to update NW.js, the software/engine we use to run CrossCode. We hope that this will fix some of the Crash issues people experience on Linux as well as Memory Leaks on Windows. There will also be a little feature added to that, but more on that later!

Now, a lot of you were most likely waiting for something else from CrossCode this years… those console versions!

As our Publisher Deck13 Spotlight is working on the port, here’s a short message from them about how things are going:

CrossCode for Consoles when?

Greetings everyball,

Michael here from Deck13. Publisher of CrossCode and the folks who are porting the game to consoles. And yes, we’ve been reading your tweets. Your posts on reddit. Your messages on Facebook. The outcalls on Discord. And we’re pretty sure there have been some Tik Tok videos, too. And as promised via Twitter, we’ll talk about the state of the console versions a bit. Also Switch, yes.

First of all: We’re still working on it and we’re making really good progress. That being said, we hoped for a 2019 release earlier this year. And – as you can see – this did not work out as intended. We underestimated the amount of work a bit. Or, in other words, it became… complicated. Especially the performance became a major challenge. Lea would say: Why?

That’s why: CrossCode is written in HTML5. And that means that there is tons of JavaScript. And live compiling it in a Chromium Browser is causing security issues on consoles and is forbidden on most platforms as hackers could attack the hardware through that. So we had to find a solution. Which is basically an interpreter which translates the code but locks it up in a cage. That also means: We had a performance bottleneck. As the code was read by the interpreter and then translated into something the console would understand and then read by the console. It is like watching a movie in a movie in a livestream. Yet: We have it under control now. We’re still ironing out the last issues, fixing some broken bosses and quests (which also have to be interpreted which means the interpreter must be able to read them etc.). But we’re getting there.

More details can be found in this video, where Robert, who is working on the interpreter, is sharing some details:

Sadly, Lea isn’t able to say the word where yet. But the question would be: Where are we at right now? We are currently focusing on testing the Xbox One version of CrossCode. If everything works out as intended, this should be the last major playthrough. We’re hunting the last performance killers, the last broken quests, the last weird behaving enemies. We are close to the first submission. We are already in the optional submissions. Yes, it runs (most times, but we’re working on that) at 60 FPS by now. And yes, it plays as fluid as on PC.

How? How can we not mention Switch. Well, we’re doing it now: We’re focusing on the Xbox right now for no specific reason but just to focus on one platform. Technically, with the way the interpreter is working, the step to other platforms is rather easy from there. Okay, for the Switch we need to do some further optimization, but that’s, compared to the rest, just some minor stuff. After that we’ll “just” need to pass the certifications.

When will CrossCode release on consoles? We’ll announce that once we have a fixed date set. Expect an announcement on a rather short notice here as we are, obviously, also in discussions with the platform holders about that. To shorten the wait, we’ve prepared a small trailer for now:

Thanks. Bye, Michael, Bye.

—–

And that’s all from our side as well!

You’ll most likely hear from us one more time this year. Until then!

26 Comments

  • I love you guys, keep up the great work!

  • Golden_Fryingpan on December 2, 2019 at 6:08 pm said:

    Sure has been a while that this site didn’t get any news, nice to hear!

  • Nice to finally get some news on this. Side thought though, I would LOVE to see Lea get added to smash. The representative of indie games everywhere with more flash and style than any of the other dlc fighters so far. Think about it!

  • Smokeldoggz on December 2, 2019 at 8:46 pm said:

    Thanks for the update but why are you spending any time, let alone focusing on the Xbox? CrossCode is not an FPS.

    • TorpedoTheSeal on December 2, 2019 at 11:30 pm said:

      All of that is being done by the publisher, which from the About page on this website is not directly involved in developing the game, only porting it to other platforms.
      So any time invested in porting the game is in no way detrimental to the development of the game itself.

      Besides Indie games have become a lot more mainstream in consoles as well, partly thanks to the digitization of video game stores.

      So a game that was developed in the way CrossCode was, it is all about the interpreter of the game and not the development of the game itself that will decide how it is port it.

      Hope that helps explain why you shouldn’t be worried. :)

      • Smokeldoggz on December 3, 2019 at 10:07 pm said:

        I get it. Anyway, if I can wait half a decade betwixt Final Fantasy titles, I have no problem waiting until CrossCode is ready on my preferred console.

    • Because development and debugging on a more powerful and advanced console is the fastest way for the team to be able to bring the game to all non PC platforms. As for the not being a FPS part, I agree. Xbox is the home to amazing indie games (example Ori and the Blind Forest) and with a developer friendly program like Game Pass which allows a much wider audience reach, it is only logical they would make it a priority.

      This will obviously be followed by Switch which is the fastest growing console and then by Playstation.

  • Profpatsch on December 2, 2019 at 11:49 pm said:

    I’m waiting for that Switch version so bad. If you time it right, this could give you heaps of new players.

  • So is Post Game DLC going to come on the console versions as well?

  • Cainenghis on December 3, 2019 at 7:15 am said:

    I have a request for the console versions, how hard would it be to implement some sort of cheat code that unlocks NG+ from the get go? I’m 100% double dipping on this game when it comes out on the Switch, and it would be awesome if my first playthrough there could feature some NG+ difficulty modifiers.

  • Cainenghis on December 3, 2019 at 8:58 am said:

    I have a request, would it be possible to add some sort of cheatcode to the console versions that unlocks NG+ from the get go for people who already beat it on PC?

  • I hope a physical release, perhaps through limitedrungames, is considered.

  • Slushpuppiet on December 3, 2019 at 8:45 pm said:

    Hi!

  • Will this be on Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One? I see that it’s already included on PC.

  • hispanic fan generic on December 5, 2019 at 7:00 am said:

    yes yes yes, very nice everything. but I’m still waiting for a translation into Spanish

  • “focusing on the Xbox right now for no specific reason but just to focus on one platform”

    Why can we be so bad at business and analyzing market demands…

    No offense but anyone can easily guess this game is the perfect fit for the nintendo switch and will be a sure Hit.

    Oh god why

    • The wise thing to do is to release the game for all consoles at the same time.

      Which is the plan.

      That’s why it really doesn’t matter on which platform Deck13 focuses on first. It also makes little difference in development time. It is likely easier and faster to develop/debug the port on a more powerful console (faster load times etc.) and fix the more rough issues, then go to the less powerful console for the last few optimizations/improvements.

      • I like this explanation more than “focusing on the Xbox right now for no specific reason”.

        Thank you and meryr christmas

  • Vũ Quang Hân on December 10, 2019 at 3:28 pm said:

    pls give us more new maps :3

  • A good and impressive story is an essential part of a game, so I think it’s good you do not hurry just to release it as soon as possible. After all, quality is more important. If you manage to release the game for all platforms at the same time, it will prove you are professionals.

  • Wow i love how lea is holding the nintendo switch!

  • I love to play CrossCode video game. Thank you, Michael, for the great article!

  • I don’t remember having this much fun playing a game in a while. You guys somehow perfectly mixed nostalgia with innovation. I can’t wait for the post dlc content!

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