Grandia is one of those classic JRPG series that has sort of sputtered out of existence, but we all have fond memories of. Luckily for fans of these classic adventures, GungHo Online Entertainment is making Grandia HD Collection. Unfortunately, despite the PlayStation roots of the series, and the fact GungHo is literally using PlayStation source code for Grandia HD Collection, this title is only coming to the Nintendo Switch. Thanks to an interview from gaming outlet DualShockers, we now have a little bit of insight as to why Grandia HD Collection isn’t landing on PS4.
Takeshi Minagawa, director of game publishing over at GungHo Online Entertainment, gave Dualshockers two reasons upfront. The first reason has to do with a difference in vibe when comparing the Nintendo Switch to the PS4. Minagawa stated that the Nintendo Switch seems, to GungHo, to be more of a destination for a classic, JRPG-style project. While the PS4 is no stranger to JRPG titles, we also see titles like Collection of Mana only coming to the Nintendo Switch. So perhaps there is data supporting that line of thinking. The second reason has to do with fidelity. Minagawa stated that porting Grandia HD Collection to the PS4 would likely mean a need to have the game running at 4K. Minagawa said 4K would not only be a lot of effort in terms of pure work, but also making that conversion to 4K would require additional brainstorming. Apparently, making Grandia HD Collection look good on the Nintendo Switch the way GungHo wanted was no small task, so this perceived 4K requirement would mean more time and resources a smaller project like this may not have had.
There could be many more reasons we won’t be seeing Grandia HD Collection on the PS4 anytime soon, but for now, that’s all we have to work with. But we know in this industry to never say never, so who knows what the future could bring.
Source: DualShockers
