An indie developer finally spoke to clarify why he turned down an exclusivity agreement offer from Epic Store.
In a blog post, Wlad Marhulets wrote that he decided to speak out to correct all the misconceptions regarding the issue.
The Unfold Games developer just launched the horror game Darq on Steam. It’s a labor of love since he worked on it for almost four years, sometimes with the help of others. Before he launched it, the game was already one of the most anticipated titles on Steam.
Three days after the launch on Steam, Epic Store contacted him with an offer. The representative, whom he didn’t name, apparently wanted the developer to take Darq off Steam. Instead, Epic Store should exclusively release the game as not doing so “is not an option.”
Apparently, the developer didn’t take too kindly about the offer that he rejected it. Epic Store didn’t even have the chance to talk about money.
However, he said that he loves money, and the upfront money from Epic Store would have been great. However, it’s a question of credibility at that point. He had just announced the release date of Darq on Steam reneging on his word will ruin his reputation.
Even if he’s just a small developer, he wanted to let the audience know that his word is his bond. It’s especially true with important announcements like platforms and release dates. So even if rejecting the sure money from Epic Store, his company will take a hit in the long-term.
Another consideration was that Darq was already listed on Steam since last year. And fans have been penciling in their calendars for the release date of the game. He cited Amazon as an example, which was willing to lose money to do the right thing for its customers.
He’s under no impression that he’s going to make more money by remaining on Steam. In fact, there’s a big possibility that Epic Store would have given him a bigger revenue stream. But then again, it’s a small price to pay than to cheat his customers.
Lastly, Marhulets said that he wanted to give fans options on where to access Darq. In fact, he worked with GOG because fans were asking for it. With that said, he wished that Epic Store would make non-exclusive agreements a policy to give more fans a choice.
The horror game was included in the list of the 50 anticipated games on Steam.
