Why Hades’ Physical Release is a Big Deal | Game Rant

The surprise award-winning hit, Hades by Supergiant Games, took Steam by storm when it fully released in mid-September last year. This indie-dungeon crawler has captured the hearts of many with it’s lovable cast of characters and addicting gameplay. So when it was announced that the game was getting a proper physical release at the February 2021 Nintendo Direct, fans of the rogue-like were overjoyed to hear. Also releasing with the physical copy, players will have access to a code that provides two and a half hours of music, as well as a physical booklet compendium of the in-game characters.

Hades was first released on Switch when the game came out of early access on September 17, 2020. While the game had been in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store since 2019, it hadn’t launched into the national spotlight until its full release on PC and Switch. Hades surpassed over a million sales in a week, with the online community abuzz with their favorite characters, ‘ships, and fan art. This only led to the cementing of the Hades fandom, with the level of love for the game lasting well into the new year.

On March 19th, 2021, Switch gamers will finally be able to get their hands on a physical copy of Hades. This speaks volumes about the potential that Nintendo sees in Hades, as mass producing physical copies and art books doesn’t come cheap. It’s good news for Supergiant, which has a number of other popular titles under its belt, as this will only translate into further profits that can help them create additional content and boons for Hades. If it doesn’t get major post-launch updates, this will help them fund more hit titles from Supergiant in the future.

It should be noted this hasn’t been the first time Supergiant Games has been so highly reviewed it’s seen a title ported to a physical copy. Bastion, Supergiant’s beautiful RPG, received a temporary physical run on Limited Run Games’ website for PS4 and PlayStation Vita consoles. With physical copies still going in the mid $30 range, it’s likely that has been no problem selling the stock of this beloved game. If the love for Hades in the fan base is similar to that of Bastion 10 years after its initial release, then Supergiant could be pulling in profit from this move for years to come.

As far as indie games go, this is huge news for Supergiant Games. Not only does this set the company up for new profits, it boosts its credibility with other big game publishers and consoles. Whether this will sell or not depends heavily on the players around the game. Are fans willing to pay extra for a copy of the game they’ve already beaten? This is where the addition of the art book and downloadable soundtrack will shine, as long-time fans of the game have been asking for just that for months, so it seems safe to assume “yes” in the answer to the question.

Hades is available now for PC and Switch.

MORE: 5 Indie Roguelike Games to Play if You Like Hades

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