After a successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2018, developer Eggnut released their post-noir narrative adventure Backbone in June 2021. Sadly, they've decided not to go through with the official Linux support on it.
This is a crowdfunding campaign that did very clearly have Linux down as a platform from the beginning, so it's not the best of looks. Especially to get the announcement that it's no longer planned eight months after the initial launch. What's the reasoning being given? Here's what they said in the Kickstarter announcement:
We're very sorry to announce that we won't be porting Backbone to Linux in the near future. We did our best to do it in-house, but it took immeasurable amount of time and effort, and making it work properly would require creating a dev environment to work in which we don't have the resources for because we're deep in production for our next game. We are not in the financial position to hire another party to do the porting for us. We absolutely understand the frustration these news might bring, and we're ready to offer you these solutions:
For backers, they've offered a key for any other platform or a full refund if you prefer. That is at least a lot better than some, as we've seen plenty of other projects decide not to do Linux after including it in funding and not offer anything. Still, it's a frustrating situation, especially to be told they don't have a development environment set up for it — after being in development overall for multiple years and already being supported on Windows for over half a year.
What about Steam Play Proton, can you run it there? Reports seem mixed on it, although there's not many, with the big problem being cinematics not playing.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month:
The comments on this article are closed.
All posts need to follow our rules. For users logged in: please hit the Report Flag icon on any post that breaks the rules or contains illegal / harmful content. Guest readers can email us for any issues.
Is it just me, or do most kickstarter projects with a promised Linux version end up like this? I feel it's happened over and over and over now...
No, see this:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/crowdfunders/
3 Likes, Who?
I requested a refund of my Kickstarter pledge yesterday; let's see how long it takes for them to follow through. Another one that seems likely to be breaking their promise is "Edge of Eternity" - when asked about the promised Linux version, they reply "you can play it on Linux with Proton" - not exactly what we backed for the Kickstarter project, is it?
4 Likes, Who?
I requested a refund of my Kickstarter pledge yesterday; let's see how long it takes for them to follow through. Another one that seems likely to be breaking their promise is "Edge of Eternity" - when asked about the promised Linux version, they reply "you can play it on Linux with Proton" - not exactly what we backed for the Kickstarter project, is it?
Wait, seriously? God, what a joke...
For Backbone, did you added a key of the game in your account already?
I'm a backer too.
Last edited by Cyril on 11 February 2022 at 3:15 am UTC
1 Likes, Who?
My read is that the game was a bit of a flop, so they're moving on. Maybe if the game did better they would follow through, but the reviews are pretty terrible. It sucks for the kickstarter backers, but honestly if this is the case then it's hard to blame them.
Linux was a base item, but they still skipped it and went ahead with their stretch goals instead before moving on - "Our basic budget accounts only for release on PC, Mac and Linux. If we reach our stretch goals, we will be able to ensure the game works well on PS4, Nintendo Switch and XBox One and release it there!"
0 Likes
Another one that seems likely to be breaking their promise is "Edge of Eternity" - when asked about the promised Linux version, they reply "you can play it on Linux with Proton" - not exactly what we backed for the Kickstarter project, is it?
Probably going that way too. Now I assume that if it's not a day 1 native game it's never coming.
1 Likes, Who?
For Backbone, did you added a key of the game in your account already?
Yes, but that's hardly relevant; it was added in anticipation of the promised Linux support - they broke that contract, not me. If they really care, I believe they can invalidate the key.
1 Likes, Who?
Now I assume that if it's not a day 1 native game it's never coming.
Often true, but not always; some examples are Divinity: Original Sin, Moebius, and most recently Encased. The long delay on the first two was definitely frustrating, but they *did* follow through in the end. Still hoping that Kapia follows through...
1 Likes, Who?
It happens way too often, that's for sure. Reasons seem to be the same in most cases, too. Devs that never touched an OS other than Windows thinking that they can develop a game on Windows for Windows using Windows middle-ware and Windows tools, and then press the magic "Export to Linux" button in their engine of choice when all is said and done, to make their Windows game run on Linux.
Unfortunately, there's Linux gamers who are propagating the very same, like "Just press the f***ing export button!!!!1!11!eleven!"
1 Likes, Who?
MisterPaytwick Feb 11, 2022
While it seems you're rather emotional on the subject, do you have any evidence that they didn't look up anything, didn't try anything?
Indeed I don't have evidence on it, on the other hand, they don't show or say anything pointing out that they did try.
The issue here is that until they do, what can we trust? The Prologue _did_ work, then nothing they develop with their main target in mind (absolutely fair), and seemingly out of luck, they find out it's not running on Linux. Because if at no point somebody tried to export and see how it went, either they didn't at any point tried and we can cast doubt on them giving a shit (we have to keep in mind it's in the campaign description, it's supposed to have been thought out enough and be something to deliver).
If they did, why don't they put some meat on the infos. People don't like being bullshitted, but people that are invested in something are likely to like even less to be kept in the dark if there is a reason.
Note on this, that I'm likely to be unfair, but it's yet again devs coming with "linux support" campaign, doing nothing for months on that platform and then dropping it because "it's too hard".
Well, fuck me side way if I'm supposed to be all nice and dandy when people endlessly do that and actively harm devs that really do their homework (See any point above calling out the thing because it was on Kickstart, as if it was a cardinal sin in and of itself). If they give no proof they tried, I'll have to assume they didn't. "Don't bag them with bad devs!", well, they can prove they aren't, don't they have development roadmaps, plannings and so on?
They are actively working to give enough of a bad reputation to devs. It's akin to accepting things like Fallout76-tier buggy release state, Assassin's Creed Origin-tier of DRM shitting in your meal, crunch as normal, NFTs and so on. At some point, to set yourself aside of the bad bunch, you got to show you do care about who you are and what you do.
It is also funny how they admit that they won't port it to linux because they want to develop the next game instead.
Great move, keep up the good work.
Honestly, it's better for everybody if they just straight up acknowledge they can't over doing what they just did. And again Wine is a bandaid, not a solution for whatever the original plan was, because it's oh so brittle and supporting it is less likely and far less sane than supporting a distro or two (Debian / Ubuntu and Fedora? Good follow up on either, they work fine).
Moebius
Isn't it a Zachotronic game? They have a good support of native Linux. And while I really like what they do, I won't buy one of their games until it has native support. On the other hand, they show it's possible.
Unfortunately, there's Linux gamers who are propagating the very same, like "Just press the f***ing export button!!!!1!11!eleven!"
Well part of this is also because if you stick to the tools that support cross-platform within a game engine that support cross-platform, much of the work is done by the software. It's like 90% of the reasons OSes exist as they do today (abstracting hardware), or Game Engine (abstracting OSes). Now, if you are to use the PAULA chip, forcefully talking to it directly, you won't ever talk to a Yamaha YM2149F chip that way (PAULA is the Amiga sound chip, YM2149F is the Atari ST one).
Expecting otherwise isn't just a mistake, it's dumb, or absolutely disregarding the specs.
If one can't stick to that point, one can't blame the reason that Game Engines do just that (abstracting OSes) and people see that. Of course, it's within the fact there is always platform-specific bugs within a Game Engine (because it's a piece of software, making it bug-less would such a long-term goal it's impossible), but this isn't 1990's and porting a game doesn't mean rewriting whole parts of the game for that. Or do we have to look at Doom's history to see it's still possible to do so with your own game engine through keeping the caveat in mind? This isn't easy, true, but if you intent to promise something and not be called a bullshitter, you have to look it up first to see if you are _able_ to do it.
Saying "We don't know, let us check", then going "We can't, because we lack people with the know-how or time or money, yada yada" would simply let people move on and find some other game. There people
2 Likes, Who?
if you are waiting for the day when native linux gaming is a thing, it'll never happen. We get a few native games but there will never be a day when all games are native.
• "If you're waiting for the day there will be a smooth, general purpose, GNU/Linux desktop distro, you're waiting in vain.";
• "If you're waiting for the day we will have nice video playback and streaming for 'linux', you'll wait for ever.";
• "If you are waiting for the day when gaming in GNU/Linux is a thing, (...)"
You, sir, are an old record. We have to hear that same "yeah, its cool and all, but its as far as it gets" speech for decades, now. xD
I put my money where my mouth is and I have had literally hundreds of native GNU/Linux games. I actually striving for Libre and DRM-free games these days.
BTW, heard of Veloren? Its awesome!
One day Libre games will be huge. I *know* they are very niche ATM, but that strikes as cool for me.
and i'm okay with that. the goal isn't to kill Microsoft. The goal is to have a pleasant and playable alternate gaming pc platform. Thats what Proton does.
I am glad thay you are contempted. I recognize Steam® has contributed a lot and with amazing technology. Though... I am striving for more.
3 Likes, Who?
Now I assume that if it's not a day 1 native game it's never coming.
Often true, but not always; some examples are Divinity: Original Sin, Moebius, and most recently Encased. The long delay on the first two was definitely frustrating, but they *did* follow through in the end. Still hoping that Kapia follows through...
Of course it's not a given, I just mean the way things are going lately I don't get my hopes up in that case.
1 Likes, Who?
Quoting: kokoko3k
It is also funny how they admit that they won't port it to linux because they want to develop the next game instead.
Great move, keep up the good work.
Honestly, it's better for everybody if they just straight up acknowledge they can't over doing what they just did.
Thank you for answering.
The fact that something bad is better than a worst thing, doesn't make it good, at all.
It is still a bad thing.
In this case, they promised something, and then said that they wont keep the promise because they want to develop a new game instead.
I'm not inclined at all in justifying that attitude.
And again Wine is a bandaid, not a solution for whatever the original plan was, because it's oh so brittle and supporting it is less likely and far less sane than supporting a distro or two (Debian / Ubuntu and Fedora? Good follow up on either, they work fine).
It is not me, it is not wine, it is that they don't even bothered to use the bandaid.
0 Likes
It's still mindboggling how people obviously having zero Linux knowledge can go ahead and promise support for a platform they struggle to even install. What where they thinking? Like "Linux is just Windows with a penguin, it can't be so hard, right?"
Taking money for a product you don't even know if you can deliver is just unprofessional.
Because they are not (that) professionals, probably, and accessibility through abstraction is the source of that.
With all those easy-to-use pre-made engines, making games today doesn't require you to know exactly what you're doing anymore.
So that you can take someone with a story, another one who can draw graphics, a boy with some musical taste, shake it well and there you go: have a brand new indie team asking for money to make a game.
Then it happens that you make a detailed bug report to them and you see how they are having an hard time understanding what you're trying to say, as if developer and user have swapped places.
4 Likes, Who?
Then it happens that you make a detailed bug report to them and you see how they are having an hard time understanding what you're trying to say, as if developer and user have swapped places.
0 Likes
That page only lists the ones that did deliver. It doesn't tell anything about what share they represent in the totality - how many crowdfounded projects that did not deliver on promise.Is it just me, or do most kickstarter projects with a promised Linux version end up like this? I feel it's happened over and over and over now...
No, see this:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/crowdfunders/
Last edited by Beamboom on 11 February 2022 at 2:53 pm UTC
0 Likes
That page only lists the ones that did deliver. It doesn't tell anything about what share they represent in the totality - how many crowdfounded projects that did not deliver on promise.Is it just me, or do most kickstarter projects with a promised Linux version end up like this? I feel it's happened over and over and over now...
No, see this:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/crowdfunders/
Did you even look at the page?
3 Likes, Who?
At the top, it saysThat page only lists the ones that did deliver. It doesn't tell anything about what share they represent in the totality - how many crowdfounded projects that did not deliver on promise.Is it just me, or do most kickstarter projects with a promised Linux version end up like this? I feel it's happened over and over and over now...
No, see this:
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/crowdfunders/
Total Projects: 428 | In Development: 89 | Finished: 428 | Total Failed: 53That looks to me like it's saying 88% delivered.
Based on those finished: Success Rate: 88% | Failure rate: 12%
4 Likes, Who?
Would be interesting to see that data by date/release or something to see if failure is becoming a trend or not.
Last edited by Raaben on 11 February 2022 at 4:33 pm UTC
Last edited by Raaben on 11 February 2022 at 4:33 pm UTC
1 Likes, Who?
For Backbone, did you added a key of the game in your account already?
Yes, but that's hardly relevant; it was added in anticipation of the promised Linux support - they broke that contract, not me. If they really care, I believe they can invalidate the key.
On GOG, at least, I don't think they can. On GOG if you bought any game that disappear one day, you can still download it from your library. I don't have any example that proves me wrong on that.
But I agree with you, the fault is on their side.
0 Likes
Patreon
PayPal
See more from me