Thanks to a post on Reddit, we've learned that Epic Games currently have no plans to put their store on Linux.
In response to a user question about it on Twitter, Sergey Galyonkin, the person behind Steam Spy who now works for Epic Games as the "Director of Publishing Strategy" said this:
It really isn’t on the roadmap right now. Doesn’t mean this won’t change in the future, it’s just we have so many features to implement.
It's interesting, since their original announcement mentioned the store was coming to "other open platforms" besides Windows, Mac and Android which we presumed would mean Linux. It's odd, since there aren't really other open platforms besides those to put a store on. We also had Tim Sweeney, the founder of Epic Games, give a ray of hope on Twitter with "We'll See :D" in reply to a user asking if the other open platforms meant Linux. So, I do still find it very odd that it's not on the roadmap at all. Not surprising though, Linux has always been low priority for Epic Games.
This could create an issue for us in future, since Epic Games are taking on timed-exclusive games which would mean no possibility for a Linux version until that ends. Even then, the developers of those games could decide to remain solely on the Epic Store. Remember, this has already happened with Satisfactory from Coffee Stain having the Steam store page removed to be exclusive to the Epic Store.
Speaking on Reddit, Epic's Sweeney said "These exclusives don’t come to stores for free; they’re a result of some combination of marketing commitments, development funding, or revenue guarantees.". So with that in mind, Epic Games are offering some commitments to developers to get their games, which could sway some future high-profile titles away from the likes of Steam.
For Linux gamers we still have Steam, GOG, Humble Store, itch.io and a few others which support Linux games. Heck, even Discord confirmed their store will come to Linux. For now, the Epic Store isn't a huge deal and doesn't have a lot of games (or features) for users so it won't be a huge problem right away. It will be interesting to follow, especially to see what Valve plan to do to prevent too many games leaving.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: NeverthelessAnd once it's there, why shouldn't people buy Epic exclusives there? Why not purchase games cheaper on Epic? It will not defeat Steam, but it can hurt it.
Because of principles? :>
RussianNeuroMancer Jan 1, 2019
Quoting: CorbenC'mon Micrsoft... finally do, what you wanted to do already with Windows 8. Lock down your OS so only apps from your Windows App store can be installed. People with either accept it, or... hrhr.Nope, they will just publish their games in platform's store, just like they do with Android, Xbox, etc.
Valve is ready for this scenario. Humble, GoG and Itch.io too. And I bet Origin, UPlay and even Epic will adapt very quickly and release Linux versions of their store clients ;)
Nevertheless Jan 1, 2019
Quoting: kuhpunktQuoting: NeverthelessAnd once it's there, why shouldn't people buy Epic exclusives there? Why not purchase games cheaper on Epic? It will not defeat Steam, but it can hurt it.
Because of principles? :>
I was just thinking of a version of myself that had less principles regarding exclusives and OS. What would that person do?
I certainly would keep all my Steam games, and add at least some exclusives from other stores.
People generally seem to not like many stores, but install them nonetheless, if they think it's worth it.
Quoting: NeverthelessWhy not purchase games cheaper on Epic? It will not defeat Steam, but it can hurt it.Unless I've missed something, absolutely no one in this coming Store War has claimed Epic offerings will be cheaper for the *consumer*. Increased $ for the devs, yes, but no one has even made any symbolic lip service as to how the consumer benefits here. And usually, with exclusives, that implies higher prices too...
Nevertheless Jan 1, 2019
Quoting: iiariQuoting: NeverthelessWhy not purchase games cheaper on Epic? It will not defeat Steam, but it can hurt it.Unless I've missed something, absolutely no one in this coming Store War has claimed Epic offerings will be cheaper for the *consumer*. Increased $ for the devs, yes, but no one has even made any symbolic lip service as to how the consumer benefits here. And usually, with exclusives, that implies higher prices too...
I would offer a little cheaper on Epic if were a developer, because I'd get more money of games sold there.
Edit: Of course, exclusives are always cheapest on the only store they are sold. ;-)
Last edited by Nevertheless on 1 January 2019 at 2:17 pm UTC
If Epic's store becomes dominant and it doesn't support Linux that would be bad for the Linux marketshare.
Last edited by Kristian on 1 January 2019 at 3:52 pm UTC
Nevertheless Jan 1, 2019
Quoting: KristianThe thing that could be worrying would developers abandoning Stean(and GOG etc) due to Epic's 12% cut. If few or no new releases appear on Steam they are in trouble.
If Epic's store becomes dominant and it doesn't support Linux thatvwould be bad for the Linux marketshare.
It's not easy to ignore Steam, as they stll have the most users, but I think Valve has to reduce their cut in the long run, to avoid slow price induced erosion.
Quoting: NeverthelessQuoting: kuhpunktQuoting: NeverthelessAnd once it's there, why shouldn't people buy Epic exclusives there? Why not purchase games cheaper on Epic? It will not defeat Steam, but it can hurt it.
Because of principles? :>
I was just thinking of a version of myself that had less principles regarding exclusives and OS. What would that person do?
I certainly would keep all my Steam games, and add at least some exclusives from other stores.
People generally seem to not like many stores, but install them nonetheless, if they think it's worth it.
I won't do that. Steam is my console. One friends list. One ingame overlay. One launcher for everything. One unified experience. I just want to boot my PC and play a game. Fragmentation isn't customer friendly. There are many examples for that.
Nevertheless Jan 1, 2019
Quoting: kuhpunktQuoting: NeverthelessQuoting: kuhpunktQuoting: NeverthelessAnd once it's there, why shouldn't people buy Epic exclusives there? Why not purchase games cheaper on Epic? It will not defeat Steam, but it can hurt it.
Because of principles? :>
I was just thinking of a version of myself that had less principles regarding exclusives and OS. What would that person do?
I certainly would keep all my Steam games, and add at least some exclusives from other stores.
People generally seem to not like many stores, but install them nonetheless, if they think it's worth it.
I won't do that. Steam is my console. One friends list. One ingame overlay. One launcher for everything. One unified experience. I just want to boot my PC and play a game. Fragmentation isn't customer friendly. There are many examples for that.
Maybe the world is more stable than I think.. at least a little.
Quoting: NeverthelessQuoting: KristianThe thing that could be worrying would developers abandoning Stean(and GOG etc) due to Epic's 12% cut. If few or no new releases appear on Steam they are in trouble.
If Epic's store becomes dominant and it doesn't support Linux thatvwould be bad for the Linux marketshare.
It's not easy to ignore Steam, as they stll have the most users, but I think Valve has to reduce their cut in the long run, to avoid slow price induced erosion.
That is true enough. But if all the games leave Steam for Epic's store, Steam won't continue to have "the most users", since the users will leave with the games.
Last edited by Kristian on 1 January 2019 at 3:59 pm UTC
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