I’m not ok with this
Back in August 2018, Discord mentioned they were opening their own digital storefront for game distribution.
A means to provide a more intimate selection of gamer for gamers and their Discord Nitro subscribers. Which sounded alright. However, I also figured that in order for this new store to compete with Steam, GOG and a few others, they would need to have some sort of exclusive titles. Something to entice gamers to use their service.
I ended up being right as Discord would go on to roll out what is being called “First on Discord Games”.
As the name implies, they’ll be timed exclusives for their storefront. Including a game I was looking forward to, Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption. All of these games will be available onDiscord’s store first and have timed exclusivity before they’re available anywhere else. Discord had mentioned previously that it would be 90-days before that exclusivity would drop.
To be very clear, First on Discord games are temporarily exclusive. They’re literally first on Discord — usually 90 days and then the developers can sell anywhere else they want. This beta won’t have any First on Discord titles, but we’ll be showing off some soon!
Now that might not be a big deal to many, however, there’s some stuff going on here that’s rubbing me the wrong way. See, for starters, Discord’s store isn’t ready. It’s still in beta right now and is only available to a select few. The last I heard is that the store will be ready in the Fall. But when in the Fall is the question.
No ETA on the store's public release at this moment, but I can promise you we'll have more to share soon!
— Discord (@discord) September 28, 2018
Since the store is in beta and it isn’t ready, what does that mean for games that are announced as “First on Disord Games”? Did someone in the back say that they would be delayed? Because you’d be right. Case in point is the recent announcement for Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption. While the game is being released for the PS4, Xbox One and PC on Oct. 18, 2018. The PC version is being delayed. It’s not because the game isn’t done as I’ve been playing the beta and have access to the full game.
Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption, the boss battler from publisher Another Indie and the senior AAA veterans at developer Dark Star Game Studios, will come to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on Oct. 18. Discord users will also brave its dangers when Sinner debuts on Windows and Mac as a First on Discord launch title later this year, with a Steam release to follow.
Since Discord doesn’t have their storefront ready, all you PC gamers who use Steam are going to have to wait. Not just for Discord to get their store online, but also for the timed exclusivity to run out. That means you could be waiting a few months. Meanwhile, it will be available sooner on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch.
https://twitter.com/SinnerTheGame/status/1045313458802057226
Add another gut punch to this as the title was already delayed once on the PC. It’s original release date as April 25, 2018, then it got pushed back until Q3 2018. While technically it will meet the release window on the Discord store – just not on Steam. Of course, I’m using Sinner as an example, any number of games could easily fall into this situation.
I’m not a fan of what’s happening. I’m also the same person who feels that 3rd party game exclusivity needs to go out the window.
I understand what Discord is trying to do, which is to provide a reason to use their storefront. However, when this causes a title to be delayed for the sake of your storefront, this isn’t a good look. There’s already a hefty amount of fragmentation on the PC platform, Discord’s just adding to the problem. Now, instead of being able to get the game that was announced for Steam in the beginning. I have to now wait for nearly 3 months (or longer), which doesn’t sit well with me. In the end, I could just give up, wait out the delay or just get it on the PS4 or Xbox. In the end, Discord gets nothing.
I know this isn’t the outcome that Discord or developer Dark Star Game Studios may have envisioned. But it’s definitely one that I could see happening. Instead, why not offer it on the same day to both storefronts and let the gamers decide on where we purchase it? Why not entice us by providing a discount or something that would sweeten the deal for your service instead of holding the game basically captive? To me, that seems like it would be best for everyone. Instead of what’s happening now.
What do you think about “First on Discord Games”? Let us know in the comments.
