Another day another acquisition with Saber Interactive / Embracer Group acquiring Aspyr Media and so we see the continuing worrying trend of consolidation in the games industry.
For those not aware, Aspyr Media are well known for their porting efforts to both macOS and Linux. For Linux specifically they ported the likes of Borderlands 2, Civilization V, Civilization VI, STAR WARS Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords and more so it's interesting to follow for their history and future.
From the press release:
“I have been a fan of Aspyr for longer than I have been in the industry. Michael and Ted are true entrepreneurs that have built a business by identifying and exploiting opportunity where no one else saw it. They are a perfect fit for Embracer and I am proud to now call them partners. Together we will be able to greatly expand our development and publishing activities here in the US. Stay tuned for details on some of the amazing games we have under joint development. Today is a truly amazing day for Saber and the entire Group” says Matthew Karch, CEO Saber Interactive and Director of the Embracer Board.
“We are thrilled to join forces with Saber and to become part of the entire Embracer family. We are confident that Embracer is the ideal partner for us as we look to accelerate growth and execute on our exciting pipeline. We have been in the games industry for two and a half decades, but it feels like we are just getting started. We look forward to exploring opportunities to collaborate with other entrepreneurs within the wider Embracer Group to bring celebrated games to our fellow gamers around the world” says Michael Rogers, Co-founder and CEO Aspyr.
See the full release here.
Additionally, on the same day Embracer also announced a "merger" with Gearbox Software (Borderlands), so Gearbox are also now part of Embracer.
Embracer Group now owns the likes of Coffee Stain, Gearbox Software, Koch Media, Saber Interactive, THQ Nordic and multiple of those also own multiple other studios like Warhorse Studios, Flying Wild Hog, Bugbear Entertainment and quite a lot more.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The comments on this article are closed.
slaapliedje Feb 4, 2021
Quoting: Whitewolfe80I do not believe that Linux desktop gaming is a strategic target for such a huge company. Such small pet projects are usually the first things to be stopped after a merger by the controllers. They seek to streamline acquisitions and cut such things off.
Finally I think the majority of the mentioned Linux games have been released before the aqusition by Embracer of the specific studios. Therefore I‘m quite pessimistic regarding effects on gaming on linux of this move.
I have to admit I tend to agree I do not think we ll be getting more linux native games as a result. So far THQ has ported desperados to linux and said at the time more would follow they have not. Metro another THQ owned property now apparently is totes coming to linux only no dates for release or information on whether its in house or using fereal generally not a good sign.[/quote]Weren't the previous two ports not done by Feral? I am guessing Epic and then Stadia are the reasons we don't have a native port of Exodus more than any technical reasons. The reasons I refuse to support either. Exclusives within the PC based on stores is some crap.
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AFAIK:
The Linux releases of the Metro games that you can find today on Steam were made in house, and they are native.
They are not the same builds that you can find on Stadia, those (including Exodus) are using DXVK this time (for the record, that doesn't mean they're using Wine).
Also, the Linux version of Metro Exodus that is supposed to come up on Steam is using DXVK. Is unclear who made these DXVK builds (in house or external porters). If they can be considered native or not I'll leave to others to argue about (god, please don't). In any case Feral has nothing to do with any of the Metro games.
As for the fear that Google somehow is preventing the Linux version of Metro Exodus to appear on Steam, I find it unfounded. The port is in the works already, and likely its delay has more to do with Linux market-share and devs priorities than some Google malevolence.
The Linux releases of the Metro games that you can find today on Steam were made in house, and they are native.
They are not the same builds that you can find on Stadia, those (including Exodus) are using DXVK this time (for the record, that doesn't mean they're using Wine).
Also, the Linux version of Metro Exodus that is supposed to come up on Steam is using DXVK. Is unclear who made these DXVK builds (in house or external porters). If they can be considered native or not I'll leave to others to argue about (god, please don't). In any case Feral has nothing to do with any of the Metro games.
As for the fear that Google somehow is preventing the Linux version of Metro Exodus to appear on Steam, I find it unfounded. The port is in the works already, and likely its delay has more to do with Linux market-share and devs priorities than some Google malevolence.
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Quoting: dubigrasuAFAIK:That is different from everything I've heard before. Do you have evidence that it is the case?
They are not the same builds that you can find on Stadia, those (including Exodus) are using DXVK this time (for the record, that doesn't mean they're using Wine).
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Quoting: Purple Library GuyWell, if you download your Stadia data with Google Takeout, you'll find dxvk caches in the Metro files.Quoting: dubigrasuAFAIK:That is different from everything I've heard before. Do you have evidence that it is the case?
They are not the same builds that you can find on Stadia, those (including Exodus) are using DXVK this time (for the record, that doesn't mean they're using Wine).
For the Metro Exodus Linux port on Steam see for example this: https://steamdb.info/patchnotes/4929373/
I mean, is even in the game credits:
(this is from our friend here, Corben)
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Quoting: dubigrasuWell, sure enough. Huh, go figure. That makes me less happy about Stadia.Quoting: Purple Library GuyWell, if you download your Stadia data with Google Takeout, you'll find dxvk caches in the Metro files.Quoting: dubigrasuAFAIK:That is different from everything I've heard before. Do you have evidence that it is the case?
They are not the same builds that you can find on Stadia, those (including Exodus) are using DXVK this time (for the record, that doesn't mean they're using Wine).
For the Metro Exodus Linux port on Steam see for example this: https://steamdb.info/patchnotes/4929373/
I mean, is even in the game credits:
(this is from our friend here, Corben)
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Quoting: Purple Library GuyWell, the original Metro Linux ports were using OpenGL, so Stadia had no use for them. Whoever ported them again for Stadia (and Steam's Metro Exodus) went with dxvk instead of rewriting all from scratch.Quoting: dubigrasuWell, sure enough. Huh, go figure. That makes me less happy about Stadia.Quoting: Purple Library GuyWell, if you download your Stadia data with Google Takeout, you'll find dxvk caches in the Metro files.Quoting: dubigrasuAFAIK:That is different from everything I've heard before. Do you have evidence that it is the case?
They are not the same builds that you can find on Stadia, those (including Exodus) are using DXVK this time (for the record, that doesn't mean they're using Wine).
For the Metro Exodus Linux port on Steam see for example this: https://steamdb.info/patchnotes/4929373/
I mean, is even in the game credits:
(this is from our friend here, Corben)
It could be this or a very similar approach with what is described here:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2019/11/d9vk-developer-is-working-on-allowing-dxvk-to-help-linux-ports-for-direct3d-to-vulkan
If you check the links from the article is clear that it has nothing to do with Wine and is described as native.
I personally have no problems with a dxvk translator, the same way I have no problem with Feral for using their IndirectX (dx>vk translator) for their excellent Linux ports.
I should also mention that Metro is the only game using dxvk on Stadia (so far), so likely is more a porter approach than a Stadia one.
1 Likes, Who?
slaapliedje Feb 5, 2021
Quoting: dubigrasuIsn't there a OpenGL to Vulkan wrapper floating about that they could have used for Stadia?Quoting: Purple Library GuyWell, the original Metro Linux ports were using OpenGL, so Stadia had no use for them. Whoever ported them again for Stadia (and Steam's Metro Exodus) went with dxvk instead of rewriting all from scratch.Quoting: dubigrasuWell, sure enough. Huh, go figure. That makes me less happy about Stadia.Quoting: Purple Library GuyWell, if you download your Stadia data with Google Takeout, you'll find dxvk caches in the Metro files.Quoting: dubigrasuAFAIK:That is different from everything I've heard before. Do you have evidence that it is the case?
They are not the same builds that you can find on Stadia, those (including Exodus) are using DXVK this time (for the record, that doesn't mean they're using Wine).
For the Metro Exodus Linux port on Steam see for example this: https://steamdb.info/patchnotes/4929373/
I mean, is even in the game credits:
(this is from our friend here, Corben)
It could be this or a very similar approach with what is described here:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2019/11/d9vk-developer-is-working-on-allowing-dxvk-to-help-linux-ports-for-direct3d-to-vulkan
If you check the links from the article is clear that it has nothing to do with Wine and is described as native.
I personally have no problems with a dxvk translator, the same way I have no problem with Feral for using their IndirectX (dx>vk translator) for their excellent Linux ports.
I should also mention that Metro is the only game using dxvk on Stadia (so far), so likely is more a porter approach than a Stadia one.
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Quoting: slaapliedjeYou mean like Zink? Don't know how feature complete is, I've seen benchmarks on Phoronix and they're not great. Is still very much WIP and besides, no use for it for Metro Exodus.Quoting: dubigrasuIsn't there a OpenGL to Vulkan wrapper floating about that they could have used for Stadia?Quoting: Purple Library GuyWell, the original Metro Linux ports were using OpenGL, so Stadia had no use for them. Whoever ported them again for Stadia (and Steam's Metro Exodus) went with dxvk instead of rewriting all from scratch.Quoting: dubigrasuWell, sure enough. Huh, go figure. That makes me less happy about Stadia.Quoting: Purple Library GuyWell, if you download your Stadia data with Google Takeout, you'll find dxvk caches in the Metro files.Quoting: dubigrasuAFAIK:That is different from everything I've heard before. Do you have evidence that it is the case?
They are not the same builds that you can find on Stadia, those (including Exodus) are using DXVK this time (for the record, that doesn't mean they're using Wine).
For the Metro Exodus Linux port on Steam see for example this: https://steamdb.info/patchnotes/4929373/
I mean, is even in the game credits:
(this is from our friend here, Corben)
It could be this or a very similar approach with what is described here:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2019/11/d9vk-developer-is-working-on-allowing-dxvk-to-help-linux-ports-for-direct3d-to-vulkan
If you check the links from the article is clear that it has nothing to do with Wine and is described as native.
I personally have no problems with a dxvk translator, the same way I have no problem with Feral for using their IndirectX (dx>vk translator) for their excellent Linux ports.
I should also mention that Metro is the only game using dxvk on Stadia (so far), so likely is more a porter approach than a Stadia one.
1 Likes, Who?
Cyba.Cowboy Feb 6, 2021
Quoting: BeamboomSurely business became difficult after the dramatic drop in gaming on Mac.
Never understood Apple's hatred of gaming.
As most of us know, they had their big falling-out with NVIDIA and so have been anti-NVIDIA since - but Apple go further than having "just" a falling out... They proactively take steps to make gaming on Apple hardware difficult and / or pointless.
I mean, where's the logic in that?
Quoting: ErzfeindWhooo! Hope this leads to a Linux port for Borderlands 3, now that Gearbox and Aspyr are practically the same company :)
I just want Duke Nukem Forever... It wasn't a spectacular game - but I thought it wasn't as bad as people made out.
Quoting: pbQuoting: ErzfeindWhooo! Hope this leads to a Linux port for Borderlands 3, now that Gearbox and Aspyr are practically the same company :)
It's already ported (to Stadia).
A Google product? I value my privacy, so I think I'll pass...
Last edited by Cyba.Cowboy on 6 February 2021 at 8:26 am UTC
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slaapliedje Feb 6, 2021
I can never understand why in the last few years especially, companies would still make a mac port, but not a Linux port. Even people I know who are diehard mac people buy Windows machines so they can play World of Warcraft.
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