Outer Wilds, the space exploration game that's currently being crowdfunded on Fig Crowdfunding, is the latest game to become a timed Epic Store exclusive. Developer Mobius Digital announced this move in an update addressed to the game's backers on Fig.
"Outer Wilds will first be released on Xbox One and on PC via the Epic Games Store, with additional platforms coming later," the update reads. "Rest assured that we read all of your comments and our goal is to bring the game to your preferred platform as quickly as possible. We will keep you up to date with the latest info here."
While Mobius Digital made the announcement with as much delicacy and sensitivity as can be expected from a crowd-funded game announced for multiple platforms, it's backers have remained uneasy about the situation.
The Epic Games Store has been snatching up timed exclusives left and right, but it seems that Epic Games has hit an all-new low. This time around, it snatched up a game that's currently being crowdfunded on Fig.
Outer Wilds has been in development for years, and its initial launch date was supposed to be sometime back in 2016. Due to difficulties on the part of the developers, and of course the duration it took to secure full funding for the game, Outer Wilds still hasn't launched. It goes without saying that the driving force behind this decision was financial, as Epic Games has been known to compensate developers handsomely for timed exclusive rights. However, for a game that's been crowdfunded, a game where people invest their own money to support what the developers want to create, the whole situation seems completely unethical.
Users on the official Outer Wilds subreddit feel their trust have been violated, and several users have publicly expressed their desire to refund their investment. While Mobius Digital may now have secured enough funding to actually finish their game and see it come to fruition, the question we're dying to ask is: what did it cost? Crowdfunding campaigns are based on trust between backers and indie developers, and with that out the window, what's left?
What do you think about the situation? Do you think it was a good move on the part of Mobius Digital to take Epic Games' deal for timed exclusivity? Or do you think it jeopardized Outer Wilds by alienating the people who backed it? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
