Another Bad PR Sign: Indie Developer Shuns Epic Store, Saying 'My Word Means Something'
from the oof dept
We were just discussing how there are some cracks starting to show in the PR war that Epic decided to kick off when it initiated the PC gaming platform war against Steam. Part of the problem Epic has is that, despite its attempt to frame its exclusivity deals as some attempt to heal a broken PC gaming industry, the public very clearly isn't buying it. It's gotten bad enough that publishers that buy into Epic's exclusive deals are proactively messaging publicly to the gaming masses that they would prefer not to be the target of widespread harassment.
That, honestly, is bad enough to warrant concern by the industry as a whole. But when indie developers begin coming out publicly to refuse an Epic Store agreement, and frame that decision as a moral choice, the problem has only deepened. Wlad Marhulets is the solo developer behind Darq, a horror game released recently. He got an email from Epic seeking to sell the game on the Epic Store. Marhulets read the email and its request for an exclusivity deal, then he took a look at all the backlash other publishers have faced for entering into that agreement, and decided that he would be breaking his word to the public by entering into such a deal.
After asking whether Epic Games’ offer necessitated exclusivity, and hearing that it did, Marhulets turned down the deal before even discussing money. Darq had been on Steam since November, 2018, and is also for sale on GOG. The horror adventure game was within the top 50 most wishlisted games on the platform before launch. “I felt going for an exclusivity deal would show that my word means nothing (as I just had promised the game would launch on Steam),” wrote Marhulets on Reddit. The positive response from fans was huge.
To be clear, you can think that what Epic is doing is truly good for the industry while also acknowledging that stories like this show pretty clearly that Epic appears to be losing the PR war it decided to wage. Again, the public is not on the side of exclusivity in exchange for higher splits for publishers. It would honestly likely be much different if Epic offered its splits without the exclusivity. In that case, the messaging would be: "You can buy it on Steam and screw the gamemaker, or buy it on our platform and benefit them. Your choice." In that case, the moral case is much more clear than when Epic attempts to limit consumer choice the way they have.
This is shown to be all the more the case when looking at how fans have reacted to Marhulets' messaging.
Darq’s Steam comments are dominated by grateful messages from fans and some derision for Epic. “I purchased a copy of DARQ to support this fine developer’s ethical business practices. Thank you for keeping your promises and taking a stand against store exclusivity. The world needs more folks like yourselves,” wrote one. “Support devs who keep their promises and stand up against evil. It also happens to be a great game so.. what are you waiting for?” said another.
If Epic wants to be as idealistic as it claims, it can have its profit splits and cool it with the exclusivity. The way this is going, it is starting to feel clear that this isn't a war Epic is going to win long term anyway.
Filed Under: app stores, darq, epic store, exclusives, video games, wlad marhulets
Companies: epic
