Hey, so it’s announced that Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is going to be launching on the Epic Games Store! We’re really excited about that. We also have gotten a lot of questions and concerns about it, so we’re gonna try to answer those and lay all this out as best we can.

Q) So that means it’s not going to launch on Steam or GoG? What gives?

A) Yes, Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is going to be exclusively on the Epic Store for a while. Eventually it’ll make its way to Steam, with other platforms to be determined. Console releases are not tied to this, and they’re arriving in 2020.



Q) You’re being a coy bastard. How long, and don’t be a weasel.

A) 12 months from launch, or around August 2020.

Q) Exclusives are anti-consumer, why would you do this? (you monster)

A) OK, so that’s a little complicated. And our answer is long-winded. Bear with us.

So, before Valve and the 70/30 split it was pretty darn rough to be an indie (both in terms of royalty share and in terms of the ability to sell things without a publisher). We can all thank Valve for using their leverage to make that happen, and usher in the era we have now. We think it’s safe to say that a large percentage of the games made today wouldn’t exist without it.

Epic is using their leverage to push that even farther, to 88/12. That’s another whole strata of developers who can survive.

Would we like that to become the new standard?

Yes.

Can that be done without leverage?

No.

Is some form of exclusive content required to get the momentum to make that happen?

Yes.

And we’re willing to get on board to make that happen. The only way this gets any traction is with some exclusive content and we’re willing to be one of the canaries in the mineshaft.

Do we hope there is a big upside for us? Sure. That’d be amazing. But we also hope this is the start of establishing a new standard.



Q) That just means more money in your pocket, (you monster!!)

A) I mean yeah, ideally. It’s a new store right now though, and that prospect is more of a long term one. Right? But we’ve found that in the long run this is better for us financially. That’s how we make more and better stuff.



Q) OK, maybe this is good for developers, but how is this good for customers? (still a monster)

A) From our standpoint as customers, a curated store with a more limited selection of quality games is a plus. Having the ability for you to share your emails with us (optionally) so we can communicate directly with you is hopefully also a plus for you. Competition for Steam is a plus. In the longer term, achieving Epic’s goals on the royalty front means more developers succeeding and surviving and making more good stuff. That’s a longer play, but we think it’s still meaningful.

Moreover, it doesn’t remove Steam or other stores from the equation. We’ve all got big Steam libraries that aren’t going anywhere. Yes, this is exclusive right now, but that’s all sort of bound up in the store’s launch and this specific point in time.



Q) What about regional pricing?

A) From Epic: Regional pricing is currently live with multiple currencies (Some countries are still USD) – but more currencies are being added regularly. The EGS FAQ has a list of which countries use which currency.



Q) What about refunds?

A) According to the Epic FAQ, at present-

“We will offer two no-questions-asked refunds per player within two weeks of purchase.” If you need a refund, you can get one right here.



Q) Are you doing this because you’re salty at Valve for some reason?

A) Nah. We love & respect the folks at Valve. This is just an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.



Q) So I have to have another launcher running in the background all the time? Hell no!

A) Offline games (which Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is) can be played offline without the launcher. In the future, when achievements and stats come online, you’d need to be logged in to benefit from that. If you need instructions for running RGO without EGS, those are over here.

Q) What about consoles?

A) They’ll launch as planned when they are ready to go on PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.