2019 is shaping up to be the year of the platform wars, as developers forego Steam, electing to release their games through the Epic Games Store. We already know that The Division 2 and Metro Exodus have made the platform jump, much to the chagrin of PC gamers. However, the player complaints in response to the platform change are being brushed off by at least one Metro Exodus developer.
According to a (very loosely translated) post on a Russian online forum known as GAMINATOR, a 4A Games developer named “scynet” has responded to the PC gamer backlash by stating simply that, if this is how players are going to react, the studio just won’t make games for the PC anymore.
The majority of scynet’s post focuses on the idea that gamers are just annoyed at the inconvenience of installing the Epic Games launcher:
“This is new, which could cause rejection,” scynet wrote. “Yes, and such a move pulls the need to install an epic launcher, which could cause some inconvenience to the players, and therefore cause discontent.”
The post continues, as scynet exclaims that players are just complaining to complain, and those who don’t back the game’s move to the Epic Store were never really fans at all:
“That is, it turns out that we (the developers) for years have been hard and painful, with losses, trying to do something special, but a certain category of players believes that our work is not worth even a couple of minutes to install the launcher. Naturally, it is their life and their right, but then what do they care about the Metro? Obviously, it is not interesting to them. I can only say that they were not our players either, they are not interested in our work, which means that, for example, the opinion of such people is not interesting for me either.”
Finally, scynet proposes the threat of not releasing any future Metro games on PC, leaving the opus on PC gamers to either get on board with their move to Epic, or be left in the dust:
“… if at all all the PC players announce a boycott of the Metro, then the next Metro, if it does, is definitely not on the PC. Better or worse, decide for yourself.”
Scynet’s words are pretty heated for a game that hasn’t been released yet. It is understandable for them to feel that way, especially considering that the Metro series has fared well with favorable reviews from fans and critics alike. However, scynet pinning the blame on player inconvenience is a bit of a stretch.
Many of PC gamer’s arguments are based around the disdain for exclusivity, especially considering that the PC (as a console) has remained out of the long-running Xbox/PlayStation console battle. However, and probably more important, is the fact that the Epic Games Store simply isn’t where it needs to be for players to feel comfortable using it as a primary platform. There are concerns surrounding its account security and privacy, as well as features that gamers have come to expect, thanks to Steam’s integrations. Additional details can be read in an IGN article that says the Epic Store is yet not ready to handle exclusive titles.
Eventually, once tempers calm down a bit, more level-headed discussions can hopefully take place between gamers and developers in regards to platform preferences, since both sides share an interest in games being played.
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