Outer Wilds goes Epic Store exclusive abandons Steam backers

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Backers of the crowdfunding project Outer Wilds have been shocked as the publisher has decided to convert the title into a timed Epic Games Store exclusive.

In a recent update to the official Fig listing for Outer Wilds, it is addressed to backers that the publishing team behind Outer Wilds have "welcomed helpful partnerships with Annapurna Interactive, Xbox, and Epic" to "keep our small studio running long enough to ship the game at the level of quality that it is today". It should be noted that Outer Wilds has been available to back since 2015 and that the title originally advertised to fans that it would be released onto Mac, Linux and Windows via Steam.

Many fans have turned on the title now, with dislike bombing occuring on the above Outer Wilds crowdfunding video and angry backers taking to Reddit to express their disgust. Reddit user Daear took to the /r/outerwilds sub reddit and said: "As of update #72 from the Outer Wilds team, the game will be a timed exclusive for Xbox One and PC via Epic Games store (source). Other platforms will be "coming later", and the team promises their goal is to "bring the game to your preferred platform as quickly as possible".

The post continues and says: "I have requested a refund for my pledge directly from Fig. I don't know if they will grant it, seeing as how it was made in 2015. You can do the same by filling out the form: Fig.co pledge request refund."

"I understand the publisher made this deal and not the dev team, and I understand money is a driving force behind the decision. However, I feel this is unethical for crowdfunding campaigns. I didn't want to support the game so I could play it months after release on the platform the campaign originally promoted. If I was told my contribution meant I could play the game "eventually", I would not have pledged. I do not wish to support the Epic Store at this time (it's feature incomplete, it's a potential privacy risk), and unfortunately, this means I can't support the Outer Wilds team, as much as I believe in the project and am excited to see how far it has come."