Note: Multiple updates at the bottom.
Sad news, Facepunch are no longer selling the Linux version of their survival game Rust [Official Site] after removing mentions of Linux support yesterday from their Steam page.
Linux support has been available in Rust since 2013, along with continued support during Early Access and after the official release earlier this year. It was a bit of a surprise that we got an email from a reader, to mention that the Steam store page for Rust was no longer showing the SteamOS/Linux icon or listing it in the system requirements.
Thinking it was a mistake, since nothing was announced, I reached to Facepunch to which they replied with:
Hey dude - yeah we stopped selling Rust for Linux.
I did request more information as to why and will update this article if I receive any further information. To be fair, they haven't had a lot of time to respond again yet, but I feel it's important to get the word out.
It's possible it's due to issues with the Unity game engine, which has suffered some nuisance problems with their Linux support lately. We've gone through black screens, no input in fullscreen and the latest being double-input issues—all issues that have plagued a number of games that use Unity. All of which have been solved in updated versions of Unity though. Still, it has become more of a hassle for developers to support us due to issues like this repeatedly coming up.
To be clear on something though, it might only mean that they're not actively advertising it as a Linux supported game, while still allowing Linux users to buy it and play it—something a few other developers do as well. I highly doubt they would actually remove the Linux version, after it being around for so long.
Really sad about this, we have an active community-run server with plenty of people enjoying themselves on it. Sin has livestreamed plenty of it on our Twitch Channel, purchased skins and all. With all the additions to the game, it was really becoming quite interesting. Even I was also going to be jumping back in soon, so this has me a little down as I did quite enjoy the game as well.
As always, please remain respectful in the comments. Issues like this can become quite heated, but let's not go throwing any insults around. Now is a time to show your support, not have a war of words.
Updates
Garry responded on Twitter and said this:
We stopped selling Rust on Linux because we won't/don't give it the QA support it needs. There are situations where there's a Unity Linux bug that pops up, and we ship with it - because it's the right decision for 99.99% of our players.
And while 60% of Linux users are fine with this, they understand their position in this world, it's probably not the right thing to act like it's fine. So while we're still going to ship Linux updates and keep it up to date.. we're not going to sell it anymore.
Also Linux Community - being abusive, demanding, rude to the few developers actually shipping games to your favourite OS isn't the way to go. It makes me regret ever shipping Linux versions.
I've said it before and I will say it again: Developers are human, people do need to understand that and not resort to throwing insults around right away. Even so, if you sell a game on any platform you should be doing QA on it—there's no excuse for not doing it.
Update #2 - Here's what another developer said on Reddit:
Linux is and will still be supported but the decision to remove Linux from purchase was mainly based on multiple issues in the current Unity version (2018.1.4).
We're currently unable to downgrade to a Unity version which corrects these Linux issues and we're unable to upgrade Unity to 2018.2 due to a number of new issues.
Linux is in a state of limbo in which we're unable to resolve, instead of selling a broken platform we decided to remove it from purchase but still offer it to existing players.
Once Linux is in a working state we'll review the decision.
Hat tip to Basiani for letting us know.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Stan: You Bastards!
Last edited by yar4e on 27 July 2018 at 4:10 pm UTC
This statement must be clarified.
It's often hard to not be heated when talking about Facepunch and specifical Garry. He is very openly anti-Linux and has been since I can remember. I believe the only reason it was ever supported was that they were a new indie shop and needed all the sales they could get at first ( or at least felt that way before knowing it was going to be as big of a hit as it was ). I don't have much good to say about Garry or Facepunch simply because of Garry's open hatred and constant outrage of our platform. I haven't played rust in forever so it's not a major loss for me, but it's a pretty huge loss for our platform and that makes me sad. But it is what it is.We initially made this mistake. He's not anti-Linux, but someone who is actually a lot like me, quite blunt and sarcastic which some people end up reading as them being against something. I wouldn't say he was actually against Linux, not at all.
/Jason
That's why you don't support that toxic guy Garry and everyone who's working with him.Meh, he is straight forward, blunt and sarcastic. Toxic isn't really the right word.
First, it crashed, so I restarted.
Then I joined a queue to start a MP game.
After waiting for ~15 minutes to join the game, it crashed again.
Never played it again, 0.4 hrs on record.
Calling Linux (and by that their users) a second class isn't toxic? Yeah sure, defend that guy further if you want, I don't.That's why you don't support that toxic guy Garry and everyone who's working with him.Meh, he is straight forward, blunt and sarcastic. Toxic isn't really the right word.
I wonder if they are actually allowed to remove the platform support. It would mean that their customers are left without the product they paid them for. So that in turn would mean either a bunch of refunds or legal issues. Considering that Rust is a multiplayer-only game, stopping updating the game would mean roughly the same — the existing Linux players wouldn't be able to play anymore.
This statement must be clarified.
Sadly, they are allowed to do this. When you purchase a game, you are purchasing a revokable and permanent license to run the game. You are not actually purchasing the game itself, you're purchasing a license that can go away at any time.
Here's there EULA: https://rust.facepunch.com/legal/tos
It sucks, but this is what happens when you play proprietary games. You don't own the game. You own a limited personal license to play it.
Well, He's a Brit.It's often hard to not be heated when talking about Facepunch and specifical Garry. He is very openly anti-Linux and has been since I can remember. I believe the only reason it was ever supported was that they were a new indie shop and needed all the sales they could get at first ( or at least felt that way before knowing it was going to be as big of a hit as it was ). I don't have much good to say about Garry or Facepunch simply because of Garry's open hatred and constant outrage of our platform. I haven't played rust in forever so it's not a major loss for me, but it's a pretty huge loss for our platform and that makes me sad. But it is what it is.We initially made this mistake. He's not anti-Linux, but someone who is actually a lot like me, quite blunt and sarcastic which some people end up reading as them being against something. I wouldn't say he was actually against Linux, not at all.
/Jason
toxicAnd a nazi, right?
Even if the real news of this development is "we can't be arsed because money/effort" in PR-speak, give it to us, man. We'll be upset (some of us too much, no denying it), but if that's what you still really want with your game, don't leave us in the dark and respect your paying customers a wee bit by being honest, eh?
Calling Linux (and by that their users) a second class isn't toxic? Yeah sure, defend that guy further if you want, I don't.That's why you don't support that toxic guy Garry and everyone who's working with him.Meh, he is straight forward, blunt and sarcastic. Toxic isn't really the right word.
But he is correct, the Linux version is a second class citizen for them. There is nothing toxic with that, second class citizen in computer speak only means that it's a lower priority, it's not a derogatory term.
So it is sad, but good to know in time that Rust is no longer supported, because after my positive experience with Hurtworld I was about to buy Rust too, but won't do it then.
burningserenity Jul 27, 2018
Calling Linux (and by that their users) a second class isn't toxic? Yeah sure, defend that guy further if you want, I don't.That's why you don't support that toxic guy Garry and everyone who's working with him.Meh, he is straight forward, blunt and sarcastic. Toxic isn't really the right word.
But he is correct, the Linux version is a second class citizen for them. There is nothing toxic with that, second class citizen in computer speak only means that it's a lower priority, it's not a derogatory term.
Here's an idea: by the dev's admission, only 17 people use Linux. So why not just give us the source code? No one else can be bothered to compile it. Hell, if we give him $240 he'll even get to keep the money from the lost sales!
Turned out it was a Nvidia driver bug.
I think people like us who are refunding and noting problems on refund request triggered that not willing to support Linux anyway dev and he got rid of us.
Simple.
Calling Linux (and by that their users) a second class isn't toxic? Yeah sure, defend that guy further if you want, I don't.That's why you don't support that toxic guy Garry and everyone who's working with him.Meh, he is straight forward, blunt and sarcastic. Toxic isn't really the right word.
But he is correct, the Linux version is a second class citizen for them. There is nothing toxic with that, second class citizen in computer speak only means that it's a lower priority, it's not a derogatory term.
He mention that some comments below. But it's completely unprofessional and idiotic to say that you don't test Linux version because there is not enough people playing it (unfortunately, he never speaks about sales percents). What's the point to make a release of something but not even test it before release? If his idea is to have the community as QA, it would be smarter to ask directly to the community.
Fortunately I never gave this guy my money. Sorry, but I think that we should spend money on guys that gives us the minimum QA and doesn't use stupid excuses to cover their own ineptitude of software development.
Patreon
PayPal
See more from me