14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is apparently testing the waters for a possible Killer Instinct port on PC, according to several online pieces of evidence.
Double Helix did a fine job rebooting the popular fighting game franchise in 2013, but Killer Instinct's Xbox One exclusivity is still a sore point for many of the title's old-time fans.
The game was a blast in arcades and on consoles twenty years ago, due to its unique, explosive and impressive combo-based mechanics.
Many PC gamers are oblivious to consoles, considering them nothing more than gimped and underperforming PCs that marketing gurus shoved down the throats of gullible people. Others simply don't want anything to do with them or don't want to fork out the cash for an expensive console for just one or two games they are interested in.
However you look at it, the truth of the matter remains that Killer Instinct is a strong title for Microsoft's latest home entertainment system, and it being an exclusive video game is yet another strong selling point for the Xbox One, which means that it's likely to stay an exclusive for the foreseeable future.
However, many people have been talking about a PC version of Killer Instinct over on the game's boards, and Microsoft is always open to suggestions, as it would seem by observing Microsoft Studios Creative Director Adam Isgreen's recent activity.
Hope for a distant future
Isgreen has recently consolidated a number of threads on the official Killer Instinct forums, bringing the PC discussion in a single place. Furthermore, he has also created a poll meant to gauge the community's reception to the idea of a possible future PC port of Killer Instinct, to see whether there is more interest in the notion, beyond the few vocal members of the community.
One of the problems with this is the fact that Microsoft has repeatedly refused to share the Xbox One player base with another platform, which led to the fragmentation of the community for many cross-platform titles.
The most recent blockbuster affected by this decision was Titanfall, and many fear that bringing Killer Instinct to PCs would similarly fragment the user base of the popular fighting game.
However, if Microsoft opted to enable cross-platform multiplayer, it could potentially give the game's competitive scene a massive boost.
You can join the discussion on the Ultra Combo forums, complete with nostalgic memories from the old arcade days.
For the time being, Killer Instinct remains an Xbox One exclusive title. Its second season, introducing a number of additional characters, both old, from the time of the arcade classics, and new contenders, was released by current developer Iron Galaxy Studios on October 15, this year.
