If PC gamers didn’t already hate Epic and it’s battle with Steam for PC market dominance, some people are about to be even more ticked off. Deep Silver has announced that Metro Exodus will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC.
The negative response to this development is honestly kind of weird, because the monopoly Valve has cultivated for PC games distribution has been undeniably toxic for the industry. Developers often miss out on huge numbers of sales due to being drowned out in the glut of low-quality games on Steam. Then there’s the review-bombing which also has a negative impact on sales, and is often politically motivated, and is also a direct consequence of market dominance by Valve. All that’s without mentioning things like scammers installing malware via Steam.
I personally think the decision to undermine Valve is a good thing, as they have consistently squandered any good will they deserved due to lack of quality control on their storefront. If Epic manages to avoid these kinds of issues I can certainly see a major problem for Valve’s market share on the horizon.
Klemens Kundratitz, CEO of Deep Silver, gave the following statement on the decision to release Metro Exodus in this manner and the reasons why they believe it will benefit the game:
“We are delighted to partner with Epic to bring the digital PC version of Metro Exodus to market. Epic’s generous revenue terms are a game changer that will allow publishers to invest more into content creation, or pass on savings to the players. By teaming up with Epic we will be able to invest more into the future of Metro and our ongoing partnership with series developer 4A Games, to the benefit of our Metro fans.”
Deep Silver has also confirmed that Metro 2033 Redux and Metro Last Light Redux will also be arriving on the Epic Games Store later this year. And in more good news for gamers, it seems that the better profit margins for developers on Epic’s Store has resulted in a more competitive price. Metro Exodus will list for $49.99 on Epic compared to the $59.99 it sells for on Steam.
Don’t freak out too much though, the exclusivity deal ends on February 14, 2020.
Could this all be the end of Steam? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Metro Exodus is scheduled to launch next month on February 15 and will be coming to PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
