Outer Wilds on PC will be Epic store exclusive

The PC version of highly anticipated space exploration game, Outer Wilds will be available exclusively through the Epic Games store at launch, its developer has confirmed.

In an update on crowdfunding site Fig, Mobius Digital said the title is nearing the development finish line and confirmed its launch platforms.

“Outer Wilds will first be released on Xbox One and on PC via the Epic Games Store, with additional platforms coming later,” it said.

“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.”

Mobius raised over $126,000 from 968 backers to help develop the game, which was originally planned for release on PC, Mac and Linux through Steam.

A number of those backers have expressed anger at the news that the PC version of the game will be an Epic Games store exclusive, claiming they’d not have supported it had they known.

The Epic Games store launched as a rival to Steam in December 2018, offering developers an 88 per cent share of the revenue their games bring in, compared to the 70/30 per cent revenue split offered by Valve.

“Throughout the development of the game, we’ve welcomed helpful partnerships with Annapurna Interactive, Xbox, and Epic to support us and keep our small studio running long enough to ship the game at the level of quality that it is today,” Mobius added.

“Each of these partnerships has enabled us to make the game better and more accessible for everyone who will play it.”

The alpha build of Outer Wilds won the Grand Prize and Excellence in Design awards at 2015’s IGF awards, and has been downloaded almost 90,000 times, according to Mobius.