The developer of Killer Instinct, Iron Galaxy, confirmed that the game will be available through Steam. Alex Jebailey himself made the announcement during the CEO 2017 livestream. Later, Iron Galaxy posted the news on its official Twitter page. Although a release date of the Steam version is yet to be revealed, expectations are that it will be launched by the end of the year.
The Killer Instinct had its debut in 2013 and since then it has been available for download through the Microsoft online shops only. For the time being, it remains uncertain whether the game will come with any incentives for existing owners.
Rumor has it that there will be a base free version and the playable characters will be changing every week. Players who have previously purchased the Definitive Edition will be able to download Kilgore, Shin Hisako and Eagle free of charge. As for the Eagle, he was recently added to the Killer Instinct collection of playable characters.
According to e-sports industry analysts, the fact itself that the game will be available on Steam is an indication of an emerging trend. They made a point that the games available only on the Microsoft stores cannot reach their optimal selling potential.
Aside from the Tweet, the developer has not shared any information as to what made it consider launching the game on Steam. However, people with knowledge of the matter suggest that Iron Galaxy is just following the current market reality and striving to list its titles on portals that are currently popular among gamers.
Previously, the Killer Instinct was available to Xbox One and PC players using Windows 10. The greatest benefit of game’s release on Steam is that every PC player will be able to get a copy of it, even those who are not interested in the Windows 10 ecosystem for gaming.