In an email, the developer explained that with the ongoing war in Ukraine throwing much of the development team into disarray and hybrid work, the difficult choice to finalize the PlayStation 4 version and put the Xbox One version on indefinite hiatus was made. Users who pre-ordered the Xbox One version will receive a full refund.

Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One first launched for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG on November 16, 2021.

Here is the full statement from Frogwares:

Hello everyone, especially fans awaiting Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One on PS4 and Xbox One.

As some of you have pointed out on our socials, we’ve been rather quiet on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One. The good news is that we will be releasing Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One on PlayStation 4 on April 28, 2022. The bad news is that unfortunately, we had to make a tough decision on the Xbox One version of the game. Due to circumstances way outside of our control, the Xbox One version of Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One has been postponed indefinitely. Let us explain why.

From September of last year right until February of 2022, we worked hard on optimizing our game for PC and both old and current generation consoles. During that time we discovered that the scope of the work was bigger than assessed. So last year we made the decision to release the PlayStation 5 and Xbox series X|S versions first, and work on optimizing the old generation versions. After the validation of Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One on current-gen in October, we kept on working on optimizing the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions. We’ve tried to squeeze out as much from the old generation as possible. A lot of invisible work was done, but also as visible as changes to the map of the city on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions so that the game could run smoother (we cut certain alleyways, shortcuts, etc.). And as we were getting closer and closer to finalizing those versions, war happened.

To say that the war made an impact on us is probably the understatement of the decade. Keeping our personal and mental situation out of this, the war impacted us from a production point of view heavily. From where we stand now, with the resources and manpower that we have, we can release the PlayStation 4 version of Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One on April 28. However, we have to postpone the Xbox One version.

To say we’re not happy about this is putting it subtly. We want to see our games on as many platforms as possible. We see that there are a lot of you waiting for the Xbox One version. We’re also disappointed because we’ve invested time and money in this version which is put on hold indefinitely. It’s also money lost from potential future income which is important for an independent studio like us.

If you’ve pre-ordered the Xbox One version of the game, what now? Xbox is informed that you can cancel your order, and get a full refund. We know it’s not the outcome you wanted, but we hope that at least this shed some light on what happened.

Once again, thank you all for your patience. And thank you all for your kind words and support. The fact that many of you even offered us a place to stay in your homes is beyond “wow.” And as always, any comments or questions, post away. We will try to answer as fast and as many of them as we can—life is a bit strange at the moment.

Until next time,
Your Frogwares Team

View a new set of PlayStation 4 screenshots at the gallery.