Epic
When I wrote about Rebel Galaxy Outlaw a few weeks ago, I got a few emails from people who said they wouldn't purchase the game because it was a limited time exclusive on the Epic Games Store.I understand that, on principle. Epic has been buying up exclusives, which are never good for anyone, and the last thing we need is an exclusives war. Epic claims to be better for the consumer, and for developers, but as a consumer, I don't feel like they're helping me at all.
Plus, the cut is not the problem.
Yes, 88% of the revenue (Epic) is considerably more than 70% (Steam). That looks great on paper. The real problem, though, is that so many quality games from ultra-small studios sell only a few hundred copies. That extra 18%? It doesn't mean anything when you're talking about 500 copies.
Low-quality, low-priced games have flooded the market, and consumers don't seem to care that much about quality. Mobile games, in particular, have created a different price structure for games, and that price structure is forcing more and more studios out of business.
Small studios (and I think this would include Double Damage Games, because Travis runs on a shoestring) essentially bet the company on each game they release. If a game goes wrong, that's probably the end of the company (Clockwork Empires, anyone?).
That's an enormous amount of risk, not to mention the emotional burden.
So if Epic Games goes to an indie developer and offers to pay for a timed exclusive, and that payment is enough to ensure that the developer can fund his next game, no matter what happens with this one, that's a deal that very few would turn down.
I wouldn't turn it down. Hold my nose, maybe, but it would be stupid to turn it down.
So I get your point, about Epic, but please consider the developer, too. Those exclusives are a lifeline in a very treacherous environment.
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