Metro developer says franchise isn't leaving PC after employee warned it could happen

[midian182]

A hot potato: Just when you thought the Metro Exodus saga was settling, another controversy rears its head. In the wake of the game's exclusivity announcement and the subsequent review bombings of its predecessors, a developer from 4A Games said the next entry in the series wouldn’t come to PC if Exodus is boycotted. But the company has assured fans that scenario won't happen.

Most people will be aware that Metro Exodus will be an Epic Games Store exclusive when it arrives on February 15. The decision was made by franchise publisher Deep Silver and its parent, Koch Media, but despite Exodus being cheaper on the new store—thanks to the more generous 12 percent cut Epic takes—many reviewed bombed Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light on Steam. It seems having to install a new launcher and the Epic Games Store’s lack of features annoyed people more than expected.

Writing on the Gameinator Russian games forum, a 4A Games developer going by the name 'scynet' said it was sad that people were disregarding years of work because they didn’t want the inconvenience of installing a new launcher. The dev added that if PC players decide to boycott Exodus, then the next installment in the Metro series won’t come to the platform.

Soon after the news surfaced, 4A Games released an official response on social media. It emphasized that the decision to move Exodus from Steam, where it was available for pre-order, to the Epic Store was made by Koch Media / Deep Silver. It added that the recent comments were the individual developer's alone and “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.”

4A Games confirmed that there were no plans for Metro to become a console exclusive. “We have every intention of continuing this franchise, and a PC version will always be at the heart of our plans,” wrote the company.

Check out the game’s system requirements to see if your PC can run Metro Exodus at 1080p,1440p, or 4K.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/78561-metro-developer-franchise-isnt-leaving-pc-after-employee.html

 

[Experimentongod]

It was pretty obvious to me that this clown alone didn't have any say in the company releasing the next installments on PC or not, he's just a developer not the head of the studio or anything like that as far as I know.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I made the mistake of buying Metro and Metro Redux. Completely BORING. Played like a 90's shooter.

Like a wannabe Fallout.

 

[ShadowDeath]

This is half-assed damage control.

This isn't from the developers, it's from Koch Media/Deep Silver.

"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."

Then this gem right here.

"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. "

That part sounds a lot like, "**** you, We will host our games where we want."

There isn't any apology for disappointing fans or anything.. just a statement that they did it for the future of the company. It's a backhanded slap to people who are upset about the game not being on steam.

 

[m4a4]

...Why would someone even comment on the next installment of the game like this? This one isn't even out, and there are many long years before the next one would even be announced. So much could change between then (like Steam updating policies to better compete, Epic store gaining/losing favorability, no next installment, etc).

I hope this employee is found and reprimanded for such a thoughtless action.

As for Metro, I'm actually glad they did this. It let us gamers voice against shoddy moves like this as a warning for developers/publishers. They should stick to their commitments and not make last minute exclusivity deals.

 

[kevbev89]

I made the mistake of buying Metro and Metro Redux. Completely BORING. Played like a 90's shooter.

Like a wannabe Fallout.

I personally thought it aged relatively okay compared to a lot of titles.

 

[pcnthuziast]

It was a bad business decision that they must not be able to back out of. Competition is good, but unfortunately, Epic is hot trash.

 

[jdaniel]

The affirmation "Exodus being cheaper on the new store" is false. As far as I know (and I could be wrong) the game is cheaper only in USA. Steam has regional pricing, Epic does not. So the game is actually more expensive for many countries, including mine. The price here went up with ~10 euros. This is a fact.