While the huge AAA titles have been the service’s main draws since its inception in 2017, supporters of the service will agree that its independent games have kept them engaged even during the quieter months. Despite new huge hitters on the way, Xbox Game Pass will get another significant indie addition next month with The Good Life, the newest project from cult game creator Hidetaka “SWERY” Suehiro.
SWERY is a game director from Japan and the creator of the White Owls Inc. production firm. Deadly Premonition, D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die, and The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories are just a few of his cult classics.
While the director’s frequently bizarre titles have sparked debate over the years, SWERY’s games have been acclaimed for their distinct atmosphere, with The Missing receiving a nomination for The Game Awards’ Games For Impact category in 2018.
The Good Life, the creator’s most recent project, is a self-described “Debt payback RPG” that draws inspiration from Animal Crossing while including the mystery and Twin Peaks-inspired aspects from Deadly Premonition.
Grounding Inc., the firm founded by Panzer Dragoon creator Yukio Futatsugi, is helping to create the game. In 2018, the game raised over 81 million dollars ($740,000) on Kickstarter. The Good Life will eventually premiere on October 15 after missing its planned launch window of November 2019 by a long shot.
Xbox fans who are looking forward to The Good Life will be able to get it on Xbox Game Pass since it was announced in 2018 that the game would be included in the service when it was released. This makes sense, given that SWERY has a history on Xbox, with Deadly Premonition launching as an Xbox 360 exclusive in the west and the PlayStation 3 version staying a Japan-exclusive until the Director’s Cut was released in 2013 for PS3 and PC.
D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die was released in September 2014 as an Xbox One console exclusive, however it was discontinued after the second episode. In 2018, The Missing was also published for Xbox One, however it was a multiplatform release at the time. The Good Life will be available on PC, PS4, and Switch as well.
