Fighting EX Layer is a rather enjoyable fighting game that was a PlayStation 4 exclusive until recently, when Arika announced plans for a Steam version. They have also reflected on the things their financial issues will or will not allow.
Arika addressed the Fighting EX Layer community in their trademark modest fashion, through a Facebook post, in both Japanese and English. The developer stated that their game provided some profits, but not as much as they needed to warrant pressureless further development.
According to Arika, the "sales of PlayStation 4 version weren't the best" and two DLC characters were eventually released with no extra charge. The developers thanked the community for their support which apparently enabled this course of action.
That's only the tip of an iceberg named financial pressure though, as the lack of funds limited Arika in attempts to develop the Steam version and the new update simultaneously. This threatened to become a real issue, as an arcade version is in development as well, and both of them are aimed to be released as build 1.1.1.
Meanwhile, PlayStation 4 version is still stuck with 1.1.0, so these financial restrictions could potentially mean that the PS4 players would have an outdated version of the game. Thankfully, the developers seem to have reached an agreement to "push [themselves] to update the PlayStation 4 version to 1.1.1 as well".
The whole seems rather humble as Arika are not keen on stepping on any fans' toes, since they have already expressed their understanding on how an outdated PS4 version would be frustrating for players and then asked players for understanding since not all of them will get Steam beta keys. Apparently, the initial beta key distribution will focus on testers and those who can promote the game.
Arika
In a final note, Arika apologised to players for "[their] lack of ability" since they will not be able to deliver cross-play to the game. The reason for this decision is that Fighting EX Layer has not been a huge hit, as they have previously mentioned, just like the fact that there is no paid DLC. Therefore, there are not enough available funds for the additional servers that would be necessary for cross-play.
The developers still apologised in a humble manner and did not choose to make Sony a scapegoat for not delivering cross-play, like some others did. Arika's transparency might prove to be a huge step forward for Fighting EX Layer and hopefully "it will just work", we'll see.
