Monday, September 23rd 2019
Exclusivity Costs: EPIC Games Store's Control Cost $10.5 million to Become PC Exclusive
Control is one of the better single player releases of this year already, and has been enough of a success for Remedy and 505 Games to launch a content roadmap stretching all the way to 2020. The game is being served on PC exclusively through the EPIC Games Store, which, besides offering developers higher revenues than Steam, has also launched an all-out campaign to secure high-profile exclusives such as Control and Metro: Exodus (even if some of them are timed exclusives).
Now, an Italian earnings report from 505 games highlights that the developers received a lump, $10.5 million upfront from EPIC; according to the report, "Revenue comes from the computer version of Control (...) The game was released on August 27 but the structure of the marketplace who requested the PC exclusivity has made possible to gain the revenue starting from this quarter." It appears EPIC is offering a safety net for developers in exchange for the exclusivity deals, paying upfront the amount of revenue developers expect to receive from the games' sales throughout the PC platform. In this case, the $10.5 million correspond to a total of 200,000 individual sales of Control. Until that number is achieved, EPIC keeps the full revenue from every sale. Any units sold starting from 200,000, and the revenue is split between the developer and EPIC. It's a win-win, really: EPIC gets more and more traction and publicity on its store, and developers guarantee they get the minimum amount they'd expect to earn by selling the game across the full spectrum of PC marketplaces.
Source:
Ars Technica
Now, an Italian earnings report from 505 games highlights that the developers received a lump, $10.5 million upfront from EPIC; according to the report, "Revenue comes from the computer version of Control (...) The game was released on August 27 but the structure of the marketplace who requested the PC exclusivity has made possible to gain the revenue starting from this quarter." It appears EPIC is offering a safety net for developers in exchange for the exclusivity deals, paying upfront the amount of revenue developers expect to receive from the games' sales throughout the PC platform. In this case, the $10.5 million correspond to a total of 200,000 individual sales of Control. Until that number is achieved, EPIC keeps the full revenue from every sale. Any units sold starting from 200,000, and the revenue is split between the developer and EPIC. It's a win-win, really: EPIC gets more and more traction and publicity on its store, and developers guarantee they get the minimum amount they'd expect to earn by selling the game across the full spectrum of PC marketplaces.
129 Comments on Exclusivity Costs: EPIC Games Store's Control Cost $10.5 million to Become PC Exclusive
But what is the risk here ? They will lost a few dollars on hosts/bandwidths ? Doesn't sound like a risk at all
Some deals by Epic fall into this category but Control doesn't imo
This is actually (if you understand it and I had to read it twice) actually a really cool setup. As a developer I can say it's either feast or famine and software takes a long time to develop and polish.
If a developer simply decides to only put their game on a specific platform - we'll say Origin, even if EA isn't the developer and EA isn't paying them for exclusive rights, then that's the developer's decision and I'd be okay with that. Should I want the game, then I'd pick it up on Origin.
Since EPIC is not the developer and Control has no ties to EPIC (barring this exclusivity contract) I won't support this game by making a purchase, regardless if it's later released on another platform. I do not agree with a company pigeonholing a game to help drive visits to their digital platform. Should 505 Games/Remedy Entertainment come out and said there was no exclusivity contract with EPIC, but they choose to use EGS for their game - that's okay with me. I'd pick the game up should I want it. Sadly, that's not the case here, according to the OP.
Looks like this will be another game I will not support.
2) I don't blindly follow. I choose Steam because I'm heavily invested in it. It's my platform of choice, and I'm not changing it because I want my library in one place.
Dictating the price and possibly exploiting market dominance by Valve/Steam would be worse than the more free choice of the publishers/studios and more effort in remembering where i have wich of my games.
2. Most of my games are also on Steam but it is simple to launch or even see Epic games in your Steam library it would just be to use the add a non Steam game and you would be good.
Regardless it is never a good thing to summarily discredit or lament on something because it is different than what you are used to.
I mean... kinda making the devs/publishers offers they can't refuse. They'd be kinda crazy not to take the money if you ask me. It's not really taking advantage when both parties are in agreement. What epic is offering them is extremely valuable. Make or break money right up front. Huge monkey off of everyone's backs.
I see pitfalls too, though. Why make a game that's good and sells when you can make your money anyway? Now epic is just a stepping stone. Enough of those could bring the whole thing down.
And then there's the obvious element of how things will be when they're fully situated and this all flips around.
I say best of luck to em. A few of my favorite games are on EGS and I hope this really does allow the people behind them enough success to continue bringing us more awesome games.