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A lengthy
series
of tweets from Tim Sweeney looks to address some of the concerns gamers have
expressed over Epic Games Store exclusives and other issues: This question
gets to the core of Epic’s strategy for competing with dominant storefronts. We
believe exclusives are the only strategy that will change the 70/30 status quo
at a large enough scale to permanently affect the whole game industry.
For example, after years of great work by independent stores (excluding big
publishers like EA-Activision-Ubi), none seem to have reached 5% of Steam’s
scale. Nearly all have more features than Epic; and the ability to discount
games is limited by various external pressures.
This leads to the strategy of exclusives which, though unpopular with dedicated
Steam gamers, do work, as established by the major publisher storefronts and by
the key Epic Games store releases compared to their former Steam revenue
projections and their actual console sales.
In judging whether a disruptive move like this is reasonable in gaming, I
suggest considering two questions: Is the solution proportionate to the problem
it addresses, and are gamers likely benefit from the end goal if it’s ultimately
achieved?
The 30% store tax usually exceeds the entire profits of the developer who built
the game that’s sold. This is a disastrous situation for developers and
publishers alike, so I believe the strategy of exclusives is proportionate to
the problem.
If the Epic strategy either succeeds in building a second major storefront for
PC games with an 88/12 revenue split, or even just leads other stores to
significantly improve their terms, the result will be a major wave of
reinvestment in game development and a lowering of costs.
Will the resulting 18% increase in developer and publisher revenue benefit
gamers? Such gains are generally split among (1) reinvestment, (2) profit, and
(3) price reduction. The more games are competing with each other, the more
likely the proceeds are to go to (1) and (3).
So I believe this approach passes the test of ultimately benefitting gamers
after game storefronts have rebalanced and developers have reinvested more of
their fruits of their labor into creation rather than taxation.
Of course, there are LOTS of challenges along the way, and Epic is fully
committed to solving all problems that arise for gamers are for our partners as
the Epic Games store grows.
PUBG Corporation announces that Glen Schofield is the head of a new studio
called Striking Distance. Schofield was a cofounder of Sledgehammer Games after
his prior stint at Visceral Games where he helped create the Dead Space
series. Word is the new studio is going to develop an original narrative
experience within the PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS universe: PUBG
Corporation today announced that it has named Glen Schofield as the CEO of its
new game development studio, Striking Distance. Schofield is building a world
class development team from the ground up to create an original narrative
experience within the PUBG universe. A proven leader and industry luminary with
more than 28 years of experience, Schofield was instrumental in the creation of
the Dead Space franchise and more recently, helped shape and lead development on
the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise.
“As a company, we have focused on developing and making content available for
global audiences through close collaboration with international teams located
across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. That vision is taken to the next level as our
development and service portfolio expands and diversifies with Glen Schofield
and Striking Distance,” said C.H. Kim, CEO at PUBG Corporation. “We are thrilled
to welcome Glen to the company. His unique blend of proven leadership and
boundless creativity will help us create great synergy.”
Continue here to read the full story.
An
announcement on Steam reveals the Black Mesa Xen Technical Beta is
now underway: We are excited to release our tech beta! It’s the first 3
maps of the Xen chapter (which has 6 maps total), continuing Gordon’s adventure
from the cliffhanger ending of Lambda Core. With the full Xen campaign clocking
in at 19 maps, the beta is only a taste of what’s to come.
The purpose of this beta is to collect bugs and feedback on a range of different
computers. We have made significant improvements and changes to the Source
engine, and we want the game to run as smoothly as possible. If you want to be
on the bleeding edge of testing, opt into this beta. If you want the polished,
complete Xen experience, you should wait. It won’t be long!
The Sinking City is now available, offering a mystery/horror game for Windows
and consoles based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The
Launch Trailer offers a look at what to expect, and
the game's official website
is where to purchase a copy. Here are the details: Bigben and Frogwares Studio are happy to announce that The Sinking
City is now available on PC, PS4TM and Xbox One.
Taking place in the ‘20s, The Sinking City is an action and investigation game
inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, the master of horror. The player
embodies Charles Reed, a private detective, who comes to Oakmont, Massachusetts
in order to investigate the cause of an unprecedented supernatural flood. Within
this oppressive, murky atmosphere, the player must discover the origin of
whatever has taken control of the city and the minds of its inhabitants.
Throughout the adventure, the player must also manage his mental health or risk
succumbing to his visions. Free to form his own opinions, Charles is faced with
heart-breaking choices and heavy consequences for this city, one which is
already only a shadow of itself.
Continue here to read the full story.
Steam News announces
the official launch of Black Squad, a free-to-play military
first-person-shooter. Word is: "Players can master their skills and show off
their strategies with a wide range of game maps, modes, and weapons to choose
from. Join thousands of FPS players worldwide in one of the most played games on
Steam!" Here's more: Black Squad provides endless possibilities:
- 48 Maps
- 10 Game Modes
- Custom Games to play how you want!
- 89+ Weapons
- 11 Characters
- 462+ Skins for customization
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment announces ONE PUNCH MAN: A HERO NOBODY KNOWS,
saying this fighting game based on the popular anime series will come to Windows
and consoles. A punchy
Announcement Trailer accompanies the news, and the announcement has word on
what to expect: Leading developer and publisher of anime video games,
will be coming to the Americas for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment
system, Xbox One, and PC. ONE PUNCH MAN: A HERO NOBODY KNOWS is an
action-fighting game and is the first console game based on the wildly popular
Shonen Jump® series ONE PUNCH MAN.
ONE PUNCH MAN: A HERO NOBODY KNOWS will feature 3 vs. 3 battles, where players
can form powerful teams using their favorite characters as they fight in a
universe where attacks from powerful villains are the norm. Players can take the
role of Saitama, a salaryman-turned-hero who can obliterate the strongest foes
with a single punch. Players will also be able to play as other fan-favorite
characters such as Genos, Hellish Blizzard, Speed-o’-Sound Sonic and Mumen
Rider.
“ONE PUNCH MAN: A HERO NOBODY KNOWS is the perfect game for ONE PUNCH MAN fans
and those who are ready to jump into the ONE-PUNCH universe,” said Abelina
Villegas, Associate Brand Manager at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.
“Players can really immerse themselves in the ONE-PUNCH MAN world and form their
own teams, develop their skills and fight to see who is the strongest of them
all!”
Continue here to read the full story.
Today marks the half-way point in our relocation of the BlueTower. Our
possessions were moved off on Monday, and yesterday we completed the sale of our
old home. We are now living out of a hotel, and today will conduct a walkthrough
of our new place. The closing for that is tomorrow, and the delivery of our
stuff is scheduled for Friday. It's all been rather exhausting, but we also feel
like the hardest parts of this are behind us. Once again, thank you for any
patience you can muster for how this has impacted updates here this week. I'm
certainly looking forward to things returning to normal.
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