Well, things have definitely become interesting when it comes to THQ Nordic/Koch Media and 4A Games upcoming Metro Exodus. As many of you know, the decision to not release it on Steam, two weeks prior to the release and moving the release to the Epic Games Store definitely didn’t sit well with fans of the series and Steam.
As such, multiple events have been taking place following that decision. Review bombing of existing Metro titles on Steam, from countless conversations on Reddit and Twitter, calling for a boycott of Metro Exodus on PC, to even Koch Media and THQ pointing the fingers at each other. The most recent event was thanks to a random 4A Games developer, Scynet, who stated that if Metro Exodus didn’t do well on the PC due to the whole Epic Games Store/Steam situation, that it is possible that future Metro games won’t appear on the PC.
But! Consider the situation deeper. Someone says that they say they crap Exodus and the previous games in the series, it will make the world better, they will put greedy developers in their place. To this I can answer that in a pinch, if at all all the PC players announce a boycott of the Metro, then the next metro, if it does, is definitely not on the PC.
Which really doesn’t make sense in the least bit, as this would be 4A Games and company basically shooting themselves in the foot.
All things aside, should this happen, which I definitely didn’t think it would, could cause the complete opposite effect. The entirety of the Metro series has traditionally sold better on the PC. This includes the original games and the upgraded Redux versions. So for the series to skip the PC just wouldn’t make sense. Adding to that, sales could be worse thanks to the decision to move Metro Exodus to the Epic Game Store. A move that many PC gamers are against, despite the legit business reasons for doing this. Scrapping a platform due to lack of sales that was based off a bad decision on the companies part is just plain silly. That’s basically saying we’re taking our toys because you didn’t like what we wanted to do. Yes, money talks and this decision just doesn’t seem like a money making move – the whole removal of competition and choice that is.
However, it would seem that this developer was either upset and just had something to get off their chest. Considering that Metro publisher Deep Silver, who is owned by Koch Media, caught wind of all this and posted an update following the developer’s rant. In which they stated that the PC is and will always be at the heart of their Metro series plans.
The recent decision to move Metro Exodus from Steam to the Epic Game Store was made by Koch Media / Deep Silver alone.
The recent comments made by a member of the 4A Games development team do not reflect Deep Silver’s or 4A Games’ view on the future of the franchise. They do reflect the hurt and disappointment of a passionate individual who has seen what was previously nothing but positive goodwill towards his work turn to controversy due to a business decision he had no control over. We respectfully ask that any and all valid feedback over this decision is directed at Koch Media / Deep Silver, and not the developers at 4A Games.
The future release strategy of the Metro series lies with Koch Media / Deep Silver. Our decision to partner with Epic Games was based on the goal of investing in the future of the series and our development partner at 4A Games. We have every intention of continuing this franchise, and a PC version will always be at the heart of our plans.
So, for now, PC gamers can breathe a sigh of relief, if they believed that Metro would never return to the platform. The series first arrived on the PC and has enjoyed a healthy presence since then. And despite the review bombing, which I feel is a juvenile act, I never doubted we’d never seen this series on the PC again. Sure, I don’t agree with the decision to restrict gamers from purchasing the game from their digital store of choice, that isn’t going to stop me from experiencing a title that I’ve been waiting to play.
Metro Exodus arrives February 15th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. If you’re remotely interested in the game when it arrives on the PC, do the developers a favor and pick it up. Even if you don’t care about the Epic Games Store, the developers need to know we care about the game.
