Untitled Goose Game Is An Epic Games Exclusive Now

24 responses to “Untitled Goose Game Is An Epic Games Exclusive Now”

1. 

   germinalconsequence

   June 13, 2019 at 1:20 pm

   Part of me hopes that eventually this (Epic store exclusivity) will go the way of loot boxes and become something so universally reviled that not having loot boxes will be a selling point but I know that while the dollar signs keep flashing in people’s eyes it won’t. I get that the pull of 88% of a sale is strong and you want to pay as little for storefront space as you can but 12% extra is a pretty generous bit of room to both pass the savings on to consumers as well as make a bit more for yourself than if you had 30% taken out.

   There’s also absolutely nothing wrong with selling your game on other storefronts. It’s more exposure and a wider market because not everyone wants to be locked into Epic and their storefront and service so they’re not buying your game right now. If you want people to buy on Epic so you get more money, make it the more attractive offering.

   Reply
   1. 

      darren

      June 13, 2019 at 1:34 pm

      Supporting different versions for different storefronts would eat away any profits you make and more.

      Reply
      1. 

         kasterix

         June 13, 2019 at 2:07 pm

         Eat away any profits and more? Yeah, no.

         The vast majority of games on different store fronts are the same version, especially when anything with multiplayer basically requires it be the case. In most cases a store’s launcher gets tacked on and that’s that.

         If it worked even close to how you apparently think it does then nobody would release games on multiple store fronts, yet it is done constantly.

         Ubisoft is a prime example of being basically everywhere, and if you’re going to argue they’re willingly losing money to do that then I’d kindly say you are a fool.

         Reply
         1. 

            darren

            June 13, 2019 at 3:14 pm

            Was more about the “offer more through one storefront” than just having the same on each one which requires almost no effort.

            Reply
      2. 

         germinalconsequence

         June 13, 2019 at 2:27 pm

         If you do it badly then sure but if indie studios can manage to publish PC versions alongside Switch, PS4, XBOne, iOS and Android versions then I’m pretty sure they can release their games on the Epic store *and* Steam, GOG, itch.io and whatever other storefronts they choose. It all comes down to sales analysis though.

         If a game is available on Steam and the Epic store for the same or similar price, what’s the effect? Does one side eat into the other? Does the extra you get from Epic offset or exceed Steam’s take? Does a lack of sales on one platform mean you’re better off going wholly with the other? As far as I know, no one can actually tell because Epic monopolises everything for a year under the banner of exclusivity which means by the time you get to sell on another storefront your critical sale period is over. Which is exactly what Epic are after. Once they’ve wrung those initial sales dry, they leave the dregs to everyone else.

         Reply
         1. 

            darren

            June 13, 2019 at 3:16 pm

            From my understanding, indie devs rarely work on each separate version, they usually get ported by some company. Is an 18% price difference worth having two PC SKU’s? Probably not, since most would probably just get the Steam one anyway. This is assuming they are going with the two different versions option mentioned in the guy I replied two.

            Reply
   2. 

      pokedad

      June 13, 2019 at 3:47 pm

      A store that’s not crowded with bullshit makes the sales a lot easier to come by. Better support from the store prefers, a better cut of profits, and a guaranteed longer tail on the game as it gets a second hit of first time release press when it comes to other platforms.

      For an indie Dev, that’s the kind of thing that keeps them in business for years. Why do you think they should be giving you the game cheaper or fucking with their long term viability?

      Epic eating up exclusives isn’t great, but Steam is a terrible mess and you deciding that your convenience in not having to click a different icon is worth more than them staying in business is going to fall on deaf ears. As it should.

      Reply
      1. 

         zombiejesus

         June 13, 2019 at 4:42 pm

         There are many more reasons than minor convenience to not want to use the Epic store. You know that full well, so don’t trivialise people’s concerns by describing it in those terms.

         Reply
         1. 

            pokedad

            June 14, 2019 at 7:29 am

            Like what? Are you going to try and call it spyware or something? Because that’s a ridiculous claim when you already run windows 10, have Facebook, own an Android or Apple phone, and use Steam.

            Reply
            1. 

               zombiejesus

               June 14, 2019 at 8:04 am

               Off the top of my head,

               Like the complete lack of meaningful features in the client, including ‘a shopping cart’.
               Like the lack of ratings and reviews that provide important accountability before a purchase.
               Like the company’s terrible track record with data protection and privacy.
               Like the client illegally lifting personally identifiable information from elsewhere on the system with neither notice nor consent.
               Like the lack of GDPR compliance despite operating in Europe.
               Like suspending accounts for buying more than 5 games during the sale.
               Like the fact paid exclusives reduce the competition and kill smaller competitors.
               Like rejecting refund requests even when they fit within their published policies.
               Like hiking regional pricing to compensate for their 12% cut.

               I understand the concerns people have with respect to privacy and Tencent, but it’s not a concern I personally agree with, based on currently available information.

               I have a working relationship with Epic because of UE4. I’ve dealt with the company for years, I’ve had the launcher on my system for years. Aside from data breaches, I’ve never had a problem with them in the past, in fact I’ve advocated for them, particularly their solid track record of openness and support with respect to the engine.

               I am decisively against their current practices and firmly assert that what they’re doing is damaging to the industry and harmful to customers and developers both, with the only beneficiary being Epic themselves. It has nothing to do with ‘convenience’ for me, nor for many people I’ve spoken to or listened to both in the industry and as consumers.

               It’s fine that you have no problem with Epic or the way they’re conducting themselves, and nobody’s requiring you to agree with the arguments to the contrary. But the least you could do is respect that people who don’t share your view have legitimate reasons to feel that way and not dismiss their concerns as base laziness.

            2. 

               pokedad

               June 14, 2019 at 11:59 am

               I’m not defending them, I’m making the point that this is myopic. Everything you’ve listed is either a convenience issue or something that at least one other company we all regularly use has done as well.
               I didn’t say it was ok. I’m saying that this is a stupid hill to die on when we let this happen all the time.

               Frankly, Steam became the bad guy years ago and someone forcing them to be better – even another bad guy – is a good thing.

            3. 

               zombiejesus

               June 14, 2019 at 3:50 pm

               I’m not persuaded by the argument that other companies having one or some of the problems listed lessens the compounded problem of Epic having all of those problems at the same time. That rings as false equivalence to me. The concerns are legitimate, especially when taken as a whole, and I don’t think it’s fair or reasonable to dismiss them so trivially as you’ve done.

   3. 

      bingus

      June 13, 2019 at 3:57 pm

      Epic… ugh. For me personally, all a timed exclusive does is make me a disgruntled customer. I no longer want to purchase it when its finally available elsewhere, out of spite if nothing else.

      Reply
2. 

   gotoadgo

   June 13, 2019 at 1:33 pm

   So much for wanting to play the goose game, shame…

   Reply
3. 

   transientmind

   June 13, 2019 at 1:38 pm

   In keeping with the theme of being bastards. 😉

   Reply
   1. 

      alexwalker

      June 13, 2019 at 2:00 pm

      Goose CEO would totally approve of this

      Reply
4. 

   dustwind

   June 13, 2019 at 3:06 pm

   I’ll give them credit for being honest about why, at least.

   Reply
   1. 

      bingus

      June 13, 2019 at 4:02 pm

      True dat. Steam should be doing more for indies like this.

      Reply
5. 

   pokedad

   June 13, 2019 at 3:49 pm

   Changes nothing for me. Will either buy on epic or on PS4 during release window. Will likely rebuy on switch in a year or so.

   Reply
   1. 

      darren

      June 14, 2019 at 11:08 am

      I don’t think it’s coming out for PS4.

      Reply
      1. 

         pokedad

         June 14, 2019 at 12:00 pm

         Huh. I thought it was. That sucks.

         Reply
6. 

   gab4moi

   June 13, 2019 at 8:26 pm

   I still have that fever… and the only prescription… IS MORE GOOSE!!!

   Reply
7. 

   pylgrim

   June 14, 2019 at 1:31 pm

   So, all I hear is that the game is a Switch exclusive, which is fine by me.

   Reply
8. 

   micksy

   June 15, 2019 at 11:23 am

   PC Gaming, uh, finds a way.

   Reply