Saturday, February 2nd 2019
Metro Exodus Developer Discusses Boycott of the PC Platform for Sequels over Steam Review Bombing
Update 2: February 5th, 2019: A post on TwitLonger from the official @MetroVideoGame handle has looked to bring a more positive outlook to this whole scenario, in an attempt to bridge the gap between a lone developer's sentiment and the entire 4A Games studio. The post follows:
The entire handling of this issue has seen wrong turns of hand on all parts involved, the way this particular editor sees it (my, Ravenlord's, sole opinion and not TPU's, so as to avoid a Metro-style situation here), whether it be Valve, 4A Games, the lone developer who made the initial comments, and yes, the particular users in the Metro community that reacted too passionately, inflamming what was already a sticky situation. I, for one, will never see the justice in extrapolating one "wrong" move as a reason for bringing down either the trust or confidence in a whole team of people working hard to bring their creative vision to life. But I suppose gaming is like a relationship, in a way. You can read the original story below.
The whole Metro Exodus saga has been getting uglier as we get closer to launch date. We had reported earlier this very week how Metro Exodus had jumped over to the Epic Games Store for a timed exclusive through February 2020, with Valve and THQ Nordic putting out statements on this move. The move was clearly an unpopular one, and arguably for valid reasons too, but this then led to the mob turning against Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light by leaving an extreme number of negative reviews on the respective Steam store pages.
We do not agree with this behavior, but neither do we condone what happened next. A user by the handle scynet on the Russian Gameinator forums claimed to be one of the developers on the Metro game franchise, and expressed disappointment, and even anger at the review bombing ongoing. Perhaps emotions took over, when he then effectively threatened that the Metro series would not come to the PC platform again, and be a console exclusive, should this behavior continue and also if PC gamers in turn decide to not buy Metro Exodus as a result of the move from Steam to the Epic Games Store. We will note here that (a) the identity of said person has not been confirmed to be an actual developer for the game, and (b) such decisions are usually in the publisher hands. Regardless, both parties are not showing their best here, and hopefully cooler heads will prevail soon.
[Update: Feb 3, 2019: TechPowerUp user birdie has provided what appears to be the most accurate translation at this time, which can be seen past the break.]
An English translation by a native Russian (TechPowerUp user birdie) is seen below.
Sources:
User 'scynet' on Gameinator Forums, TwitLonger
The recent decision to move Metro Exodus from Steam to the Epic Game Store was made by Koch Media / Deep Silver alone.
The recent comments made by a member of the 4A Games development team do not reflect Deep Silver's or 4A Games' view on the future of the franchise. They do reflect the hurt and disappointment of a passionate individual who has seen what was previously nothing but positive goodwill towards his work turn to controversy due to a business decision he had no control over. We respectfully ask that any and all valid feedback over this decision is directed at Koch Media / Deep Silver, and not the developers at 4A Games.
The future release strategy of the Metro series lies with Koch Media / Deep Silver. Our decision to partner with Epic Games was based on the goal of investing in the future of the series and our development partner at 4A Games. We have every intention of continuing this franchise, and a PC version will always be at the heart of our plans.
The entire handling of this issue has seen wrong turns of hand on all parts involved, the way this particular editor sees it (my, Ravenlord's, sole opinion and not TPU's, so as to avoid a Metro-style situation here), whether it be Valve, 4A Games, the lone developer who made the initial comments, and yes, the particular users in the Metro community that reacted too passionately, inflamming what was already a sticky situation. I, for one, will never see the justice in extrapolating one "wrong" move as a reason for bringing down either the trust or confidence in a whole team of people working hard to bring their creative vision to life. But I suppose gaming is like a relationship, in a way. You can read the original story below.
The whole Metro Exodus saga has been getting uglier as we get closer to launch date. We had reported earlier this very week how Metro Exodus had jumped over to the Epic Games Store for a timed exclusive through February 2020, with Valve and THQ Nordic putting out statements on this move. The move was clearly an unpopular one, and arguably for valid reasons too, but this then led to the mob turning against Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light by leaving an extreme number of negative reviews on the respective Steam store pages.
[Update: Feb 3, 2019: TechPowerUp user birdie has provided what appears to be the most accurate translation at this time, which can be seen past the break.]
An English translation by a native Russian (TechPowerUp user birdie) is seen below.
I've watched the shit storm that gave me contradicting impressions. On the one hand, Steam withdrawal was dubious, no one before us has done this so abruptly (as far as I know). This is new and and it could have caused resentment. And also this move makes it necessary to install the Epic launcher, so it could have inconvenienced certain gamers, and caused resentment.This does not seem as feverous as initial translations make it out to be, however the underlying tones are still applicable to the same bottom line. We also are more confident now that the original poster is a verified employee of 4A Games, and likely a developer on Metro Exodus as well. He/she is no doubt passionate about the work put in to the game, and ideally recognizes that the deeds (however undeserving the review bombing of past games may be) of some members of the PC gaming community does not speak for everyone. At the same time, this does not mean that 4A Games/Koch Media/THQ Nordic/Epic Games Store are all blameless in this debacle either, just that here too the work of few is affecting the rest adversely.
On the other hand a reaction of the certain category of players ("torrents" only and likewise [he meant those who pirate games]) is hardly adequate. I've got the impression that people didn't really want to play and they have been waiting for a reason to pour out bile. It turns out that we (the developers) have toiled over for years trying to create something extraordinary but a certain category of players believes that our work isn't worth two minutes of installing a new game launcher. Naturally, it's their life and right, but why do they care about Metro at all? Obviously, they are not interested. I can only say that they've never been our players, they are not interested in our work, and as a result, for example, I'm not interested in their opinion. What's the point of me (and not only me) listening to their opinion?
But! Let's take a deeper look at the situation. Someone says that having shit on Metro Exodus and other games of the series has made the world a better place and put the greedy developers in their place. For that, I can only say that, at the worst scenario if all [PC] players boycott the game, then future games, if they get released at all, certainly won't be for PC. Will it be for the better or worse, is up to you. Personally, I will be sorry for devoted fans. But it won't change my appreciation of the work done by me, my friends and co-workers. I'm absolutely certain that almost everyone who is smearing us on the internet is not capable of the tiniest part of the work already done, and I hope, is yet to be done. Which means they are totally unaware of what they are talking about.
One extra thing. Despite the fact that during development I've finished every level of the game countless times, I still love playing Metro. I've completely finished previous games of the series several times and right now when we are putting the finishing touches to the game I'm going to finish it once more. For me it's already a tradition when I finish the game right before its release. It allows to evaluate the work we've done. What am I talking about? I remember the words of Prof [some nickname presumably - no idea who this person is] which I've heard straight from him several times and also on the Internet: you must create a game for yourself, so that first and most you like it yourself. And only now I'm starting to fully understand that - no smartass will make me doubt the work we've done. And there always will be the dissatisfied.
288 Comments on Metro Exodus Developer Discusses Boycott of the PC Platform for Sequels over Steam Review Bombing
take your toys and leave the sandbox then
what we have here is a toddler throwing a tantrum because he knows hes in trouble
Leaving the sandbox is not easy. It’s usually a long and exhausting legal fight over IP, past royalties, future games, and quite expensive. The news is full of these accounts over the years.
so here is what I imagined happened
4a/Koch Media saw Epics tasty bit of a offer and wanted in on it THQ Nordic (the guys that really have the final say) said no knowing better 4a/Koch Media pitched a fit and THQ was forced begrudgingly to allow it hence there initial statement throwing 4a/Koch Media under the bus, once they saw all the idiots in support of the decision they back peddled to save face
you guys really need to step back and evaluate how these scum lords operate
I am not giving my money and information to Epic so that it can get stolen or sold. In the short time they have had their excuse for a store open they have already had 2 security breaches.
I would love to play the game, but I won't be paying for it till it comes to GOG or Steam. AND yes there is plenty of people who no longer play certain games because of Uplay.
People care about support forums
People care about ease of playing together.
People care about gifting and game sharing...
People care about name change
about....
Well over half of those things I would say everyone cares about, and the rest shifts depending on the group.
Just because the list favors the most built out content delivery system that currently exists doesn't mean you should just ignore it.
You may not care about anything other than playing single player because you have no friends... but in reality they are wanted features. The consequence for using a content delivery system for your advertisement and revenue generation, then stealing from them is lack of sales.
I intensely dislike Origin, I will not use Uplay or MS store, GOG gives choices and drm free options, for that I am grateful and you don't have to use the launcher if you don't want, just download the game and play directly because no DRM, can even add the game to steam and play that way.
Treating your customers like shit is why piracy happens. Forcing them to do things your way... We play on PC to have choices, not be locked into a particular launcher... especially one as shitty, unstable and insecure as Epic. Just because a list is made by someone who is not security minded and values 2FA the way I do doesn't make it less valid...
From a dev and publisher point of view, there is a lot that steam does for that 30%
Like the advertising, distribution and storage forever, customer support, forums, they let you run the game how you want.
Is 30% too much? Perhaps, that is something to negotiate, not to leverage advertisement and then lock exclusivity. I am not against a new store front, I am against Exclusives.
Like I said, plenty of titles I do not play because of them being locked inside Uplay...
People who like single player love the story and worlds created, and want to see it play out, to be entertained. SP games are in the same category as literature and movies, most of which have great stories, in which they want to see it played out.
30% is peanuts for the service you get
I get unauthorised login attempts for my epic account at least once a month they didn't even have 2fa for over a year
also the only reason epic can afford to have a pricing war is dat forkknife money when that runs out the percent will go up
[INDENT]I watched the bubbling. Impressions are twofold. On the one hand, the withdrawal from Steam is ambiguous, so no one has done so sharply (as far as I can tell). This is new, which could cause rejection. Yes, and such a move pulls the need to install the Epic launcher, which could cause some inconvenience to the players, and therefore cause discontent.[/INDENT]
[INDENT]On the other hand, the reaction of a certain category of players is hardly adequate. It seems that people did not want to play, just waited for a reason to pour out their bile. 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 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. What is the point for me personally (and not only) to listen to their opinion?[/INDENT]
[INDENT]But! Consider the situation deeper. Someone says that if they crap Exodus and the previous games in the series, it will make the world better, they will put greedy developers in their place. To this, I can answer that in a pinch, if all the PC players announce a boycott of Metro Exodus, then the next Metro, if it does, is definitely not going to be on the PC. Better or worse, decide for yourself. I personally feel sorry for the loyal fans, yes. But my assessment of the work done personally by me and my friends and colleagues will not change this. I firmly know that almost everyone who pours this dirt on the net is also incapable of a bit of what we have done and hopefully do more. And that means they have no idea what they are talking about.[/INDENT]
[INDENT]And further. Despite the fact that during the development I went through each level of each game, hell knows how many times, it is interesting for me to play Metro. I went through the previous parts completely and more than once, and now I am going to go through the whole PC version, to which we make the final touches. For me, this is already a tradition, I always replay the game completely before release. It allows you to evaluate the work done. What is it for me? I remember the words of the Prof, which I have heard more than once, both from myself and on the Internet – the game must be made for myself, so that you like it first. And only now do I begin to understand this fully – no clever man can shake me about the value of the work that we have done. And there will always be disgruntled.[/INDENT]
Source in English: wccftech.com/boycott-metro-exodus-next-wont-be-pc/
The developer apparently says that "a PC version will always be at the heart of our plans".
1) Regional pricing if your game has lots of localizations.
2) Online gaming because running your own servers sucks.
3) Early Access if your game is not completely funded.
4) How much money the distribution platform keeps per sale (chart doesn't include this and it's a make or break thing).
Niche things developers may care about:
5) Marketplace/Microtransactions for additional revenue stream at low cost.
6) VR support if the developer is making VR games.
The rest is work for them or doesn't affect them in a meaningful way.If you look at what Tim Sweeney said, it is very possible that Metro Exodus wouldn't even exist without Epic Games committing monies to help develop, market, and publish it. If there is, in fact, an exclusivity agreement between Epic Games and A4 Games, then Epic Games is more than a distributor (like Steam), it's a publisher too. Think of Metro Exodus like Unravel for Origin/EA. Independent games that are published by a larger company and a requirement for that is exclusivity to the Origin/EA market on PC.
Here's a VERY important quote from Tim Sweeney:I have been advocating this for years and it's something blockchain technology can make possible. There needs to be an open infrastructure for game distribution which all distributors participate in (build servers and add them to the network, get paid for servicing users on the network). The entire network acknowledges your right to software and so long as there as at least one participating, it will be honored. If Sweeney is on the verge of making this a reality then more power to him.
Epic Games Store is relatively young and perhaps it is just a stop gap measure...but that's going off topic.
Point is, the relationship between Metro Exodus and Epic Games is likely more complex than it appears on the surface. If Metro Exodus is contractually exclusively, it was a mutually agreed to thing. If you don't like it, wait until the contract expires and buy it where you want. If you don't mind then support A4 Games and Epic Games in their pursuit of cheaper, better games. The store should only be a temporary inconvenience.
Heck, I can pretty much bet that steam probably makes way higher margins and less money back in developer's pocket. We should all be for developers making their money back so they can invest more back. Bash me for it, I love steam but I will never be boycotting shit because I play games because of the game not because I am a steam fanboy. People should be pissed if they already purchased and they lost their right to play on steam. Which doesnt seem to be the issue here. Just cuz you can't buy it on steam? common!
Bash me all you want but this love for steam is pure nonsense. Developers need to make money too and I can bet they are glad for EPIC fighting steam. Don't understand this mad love for steam lol. Don't buy that is your right but steam isn't entitled to every game. Its like if its not on amazon I am not going to buy it. Dumb!