EPIC Games Moves Into the Publishing Scene, Signs Up Three Partner Studios

[Raevenlord]

EPIC Games has moved on through to the next logical step in its effort to become much more than just a game and engine developer. Today, the company has just announced that t has signed agreements to become the de facto publisher for three games companies that you're likely well familiar with. One of them is Remedy Entertainment, which gave us the excellent, experimental, mix-media storytelling Quantum Break and, more recently, the widely acclaimed Control. Alongside Remedy, the company has also signed on Gen Design, responsible for PlayStation's 4 exclusive The Last guardian, as well as PLAYDEAD, which have developed side-scrollers Limbo and Inside.

According to EPIC, they have now begun offering developers the terms they always wanted to have when they were looking for publishers, and were more focused in game creation than on their current service-providers road. EPIC will be shouldering 100% of the development costs for games these companies develop, and will offer them a 50% cut on actual profits for the game once the development costs have been recouped. More importantly for games developers, though, is the ability to maintain control of their IPs, and not having to surrender them to the publishing companies - something that EPIC is guaranteeing for any studio that signs up with them. This way, perhaps we'll be saved from some... ehm. EA-like situations, anyone?

According to the press release and Remedy Entertainment, for one, the deal covers the studio's next two games - a "AAA" multiplatform game, and a smaller title that's bound to the same fictional universe as that experience.

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[the54thvoid]

Cue much cynicism but this sounds pretty cool. A company with a common sense approach; offering the necessary financial resources and then taking a profit share.

 

[rtwjunkie]

Color me impressed. Remedy had, I though, an ironclad, many-year contract in Microsoft's house. Apparently Epic was able to win out on that battle. It sounds like a fair financial arrangement as well.

 

[ZeppMan217]

Sounds like permanent exclusivity to me.

 

[the54thvoid]

Sounds like permanent exclusivity to me.

Which is fair if they supply the necessary means to bankroll the product. It is business, not charity.

 

[rtwjunkie]

To me it seems no different than not being able to get any Valve games anywhere but Steam. And to be clear, we don't know exactly how they will handle their games produced yet. No need for anyone to jump to conclusions.

 

[moob]

Sounds like permanent exclusivity to me.

OP: According to the press release and Remedy Entertainment, for one, the deal covers the studio's next two games - a "AAA" multiplatform game, and a smaller title that's bound to the same fictional universe as that experience.

Soooo, no? If you were referring to exclusivity on PC, like rtw said, we don't know yet. Other timed exclusives, like Borderlands 3 and Metro Exodus have already made their way to Steam while others, like Untitled Goose Game and Remedy's own Control will be coming later.

 

[dicktracy]

If they can get more PS4 and Xbox X games exclusively on Epic store, then more people will migrate to their platform. We’ll also see more Steam shills working overtime haha

 

[Mistral]

If Tencent wasn't involved, this would've been a pretty sweet thing...

 

[Pumper]

If that means more Remedy games will be created, then I'm fine with this.

 

[Vayra86]

Sounds like permanent exclusivity to me.

You really oughta get yourself a dictionary sometime and double check that definition.

If Tencent wasn't involved, this would've been a pretty sweet thing...

I heard ZeppMan217 wants company. You'd make a nice couple sharing fake news.

 

[THU31]

Very good. This is what it is supposed to look like. Making and funding your own exclusives, not paying for timed exclusivity of 3rd party games.

 

[Splinterdog]

It's good to see a company like Epic breaking the mould quite frankly.

 

[TechLurker]

A bit of a shame EPIC wasn't big enough and around early enough to save a number of studios from EA (at least, ones that would either benefit from the Unreal Engine or EPIC's rather generous terms). Better late than never I suppose.

 

[Vayra86]

A bit of a shame EPIC wasn't big enough and around early enough to save a number of studios from EA (at least, ones that would either benefit from the Unreal Engine or EPIC's rather generous terms). Better late than never I suppose.

The studios might be gone but the talent is still in the market. A studio is nothing more than a team and... hopefully... a budget.