Epic Games General Thread - Its time to talk about what the AAA gaming industry does not understand about the PC console.

Steam was better when people were still seething about being forced to install it to get HL2. And it was fucking horrible at that time.
I only got Steam because I didn't read the back of Fallout: New Vegas and thus didn't notice the "Requires Steam" shit. However, I quickly got over it.

Shit, I got locked out of my old account that I had for NV and Skyrim and guess what? Steam allowed me to use a picture of the serial number in the case to regain access to the account. I have since used family sharing to reintegrate the games to my current account.
The other thing that shut my ass up was the fact that Steam quickly got to know my tastes and started recommending games that I legitimately liked such as Subnautica, The Forest, Banished, and quite a few others I would never have even known existed without them being thrown on my recommendations.

I've since developed a bit of a liking for Steam, actually. It makes it easy to buy all my games, I don't have to be afraid of ever losing them if I lose or break a disc, they shove good games in my face once in awhile, and they've offered me some pretty sweet deals.

What has Epic ever done for me? Seriously, show me one thing Epic will do for me that Steam wont? Other than ignore when my account is hacked and sell my info to commie chinks.
 
Steam was a pile of shit. Back when the newest patch to CS was 1.4. The year of our lord 2002. When it lagged the servers to hell, randomly kicked players off servers mid match and was a nuisance.

It still was better than EGS has ever been at that point.
I'm still mad about that. The in game server browser was somehow wildly superior to the out of game server browser, which had to be manually stopped because it would sometimes go nuts pinging servers and lag you out.
Also they lowered the damage of the ak and m4 and ruined the game forever. Back in the day, 2 ak chest shots could kill, 3 m4 chest shots. Now it's like 4 and 5, changed the game quite a bit.
 
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So Epic is doing not one free game a week, but six. They're getting super desperate as they're offering the entire Batman Arkham Collection and the Lego Collection for free.

"Nah man, there's just so many companies wanting to give them free games that they have a gigantic stockpile to give out to people, c'mon man, don't misrepresent Epic like that maaaaaaaaaaan."
- Epic shills, currently
 
So Epic is doing not one free game a week, but six. They're getting super desperate as they're offering the entire Batman Arkham Collection and the Lego Collection for free.
And Epic, being the idiots that they are, is offering this deal while Steam is selling it 75% off for their weekend sale; instead of doing the smart thing and waiting to offer it for free while Steam is charging the usual $60 to more effectively entice Steam users over. They really can't do anything right.
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Is Tim Sweeny fucking rétarded? Does he legit have brain damage? "Hmm, free or the price of a meal at McDonalds where all my other shit is that doesn't have chink spyware on it? TOUGH CHOICE"

They have no fucking clue what they're doing. Now they're doing free games every week, how much is this costing them?

EDIT:
Oh, I just realized why. They're releasing Batman in Fortnite so they're giving away the Batman games. Still, really, really bad timing and not at all worth the money this is costing them.
 
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We've finally got something of a solid estimate on how much Epic's willing to pay for exclusives, thanks to the devs of Control.
9.49 million euros (when loosely converted back to dollars) totals to around, give or take:

$10,454,516.15

'Ly shit: that's not just "fuck you" money, that's "wine and dine before you get fucked up the ass with a railroad spike" money.

And that was for a smaller game like Control; just imagine how much they had to pay for Borderlands to get on their storefront, or better yet, to purchase studios like Psyonix as a whole, or literally every exclusive thus far on the platform.

EDIT: Reminder: this is just what got leaked/revealed publicly through 505 Games, it could very very easily have been much more, and covered far more expenses than the initial profit they would've received.

EDIT 2: Some have tried using super rough math to estimate how much of a sales advance Epic paid up front directly.
Some people seem to be saying it's about the value of 150k copies, but that figure is waaaay off. A Publisher sees about $30 of a $60 game sale, after deducting licences, retailer cuts, royalties, etc...
The Developers will usually see 10% of what the Publisher makes, so $3. Meaning Publishers actually make $27 per $60 game sale. So this is like being paid upfront, for 350,000 copies (not an insignificant number) and probably somewhere in the ballpark of the expected first month of the sales on PC. Coupled with the lower cut that Epic take, it's easy to see why Companies take the exclusivity deals.
For Epic to turn a profit on that Exclusivity deal, at 12% of $60 per copy sold ($7.2), they need to sell 1.32m copies at full price. Although keeping in mind, that Epic has a lot of control on the price of its exclusive games. Assuming my maths is correct (probably not).
Despite that, 1.32m is still asking a lot and I'm sure Epic don't expect to make that back. But even if they don't, a couple million in loses would be a drop in a near infinite bucket.
So even when lowballing, Epic essentially paid the equivalent of the developers selling 1.32 million copies of the game, and gave the money they'd have earned totaled after expenses to those developers directly, in exchange for exclusivity.

...Talk about a deal with the devil.
 
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We've finally got something of a solid estimate on how much Epic's willing to pay for exclusives, thanks to the devs of Control.
9.49 million euros (when loosely converted back to dollars) totals to around, give or take:

$10,454,516.15

'Ly shit: that's not just "fuck you" money, that's "wine and dine before you get fucked up the ass with a railroad spike" money.

And that was for a smaller game like Control; just imagine how much they had to pay for Borderlands to get on their storefront, or better yet, to purchase studios like Psyonix as a whole, or literally every exclusive thus far on the platform.

EDIT: Reminder: this is just what got leaked/revealed publicly through 505 Games, it could very very easily have been much more, and covered far more expenses than the initial profit they would've received.

EDIT 2: Some have tried using super rough math to estimate how much of a sales advance Epic paid up front directly.
Some people seem to be saying it's about the value of 150k copies, but that figure is waaaay off. A Publisher sees about $30 of a $60 game sale, after deducting licences, retailer cuts, royalties, etc...
The Developers will usually see 10% of what the Publisher makes, so $3. Meaning Publishers actually make $27 per $60 game sale. So this is like being paid upfront, for 350,000 copies (not an insignificant number) and probably somewhere in the ballpark of the expected first month of the sales on PC. Coupled with the lower cut that Epic take, it's easy to see why Companies take the exclusivity deals.
For Epic to turn a profit on that Exclusivity deal, at 12% of $60 per copy sold ($7.2), they need to sell 1.32m copies at full price. Although keeping in mind, that Epic has a lot of control on the price of its exclusive games. Assuming my maths is correct (probably not).
Despite that, 1.32m is still asking a lot and I'm sure Epic don't expect to make that back. But even if they don't, a couple million in loses would be a drop in a near infinite bucket.
So even when lowballing, Epic essentially paid the equivalent of the developers selling 1.32 million copies of the game, and gave the money they'd have earned totaled after expenses to those developers directly, in exchange for exclusivity.

...Talk about a deal with the devil.
Just to verify your numbers in comparison with Borderlands 3, I wanted to confirm that Control was indeed not a permanent Epic exclusive, and holy shit, they paid over $10mil for a limited exclusive.
Control also has a page on Steam, further verifying that it will indeed eventually come out on Steam. I wonder how long Tencent is going to let them continue doing this before they want it to stop? They've been able to stem their losses based on Fortnite's massive popularity, but it really depends on how long it keeps people coming back. It makes me wonder how much they spent on a lot of Kickstarter funded titles. It probably takes a lot to convince a company to potentially open themselves up to lawsuits from backers.
 
We've finally got something of a solid estimate on how much Epic's willing to pay for exclusives, thanks to the devs of Control.
9.49 million euros (when loosely converted back to dollars) totals to around, give or take:

$10,454,516.15

'Ly shit: that's not just "fuck you" money, that's "wine and dine before you get fucked up the ass with a railroad spike" money.

And that was for a smaller game like Control; just imagine how much they had to pay for Borderlands to get on their storefront, or better yet, to purchase studios like Psyonix as a whole, or literally every exclusive thus far on the platform.

EDIT: Reminder: this is just what got leaked/revealed publicly through 505 Games, it could very very easily have been much more, and covered far more expenses than the initial profit they would've received.

EDIT 2: Some have tried using super rough math to estimate how much of a sales advance Epic paid up front directly.
Some people seem to be saying it's about the value of 150k copies, but that figure is waaaay off. A Publisher sees about $30 of a $60 game sale, after deducting licences, retailer cuts, royalties, etc...
The Developers will usually see 10% of what the Publisher makes, so $3. Meaning Publishers actually make $27 per $60 game sale. So this is like being paid upfront, for 350,000 copies (not an insignificant number) and probably somewhere in the ballpark of the expected first month of the sales on PC. Coupled with the lower cut that Epic take, it's easy to see why Companies take the exclusivity deals.
For Epic to turn a profit on that Exclusivity deal, at 12% of $60 per copy sold ($7.2), they need to sell 1.32m copies at full price. Although keeping in mind, that Epic has a lot of control on the price of its exclusive games. Assuming my maths is correct (probably not).
Despite that, 1.32m is still asking a lot and I'm sure Epic don't expect to make that back. But even if they don't, a couple million in loses would be a drop in a near infinite bucket.
So even when lowballing, Epic essentially paid the equivalent of the developers selling 1.32 million copies of the game, and gave the money they'd have earned totaled after expenses to those developers directly, in exchange for exclusivity.

...Talk about a deal with the devil.

I am just floored with that figure. It's like the reverse of lending money. They're NEVER going to see that 10 mil again. Also remember Borderlands 3 was only 6 months, not a year. Imagine how high the price was that Epic couldn't get it for a year. As popular as BL3 is, no fucking way are they ever seeing a return on that investment for at least 5 years. If ever.

No wonder publishers and small indies are taking it. I mean, think how much that greedy cocksucker Randy Pitchford pocketed from that deal. I mean, if I were a small indie, I sure as fuck would accept a 3-5 mil deal with Epic. You'd never have to do anything ever again, just coast off that 80k interest you get.

I just see this benefiting everyone but Epic. Like, I just don't get how they get their money back with the massive cut they take and at the same time have money to make the store better. They just can't. Sweeny is 100% deluded by this idea that 'devs will decide this!'. No. No they won't. You are legit out of your fucking mind, paying 10 million for a one year exclusive that will likely net Steam more money at 50% off than you will ever get back.
 
And Epic, being the idiots that they are, is offering this deal while Steam is selling it 75% off for their weekend sale; instead of doing the smart thing and waiting to offer it for free while Steam is charging the usual $60 to more effectively entice Steam users over. They really can't do anything right.
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willing to bet it's on sale because after playing it on epic for a bit, people will buy it on steam

almost everyone i talk to that has downloaded free stuff off of epic has expressed a desire to buy the game on steam anyway (if it's good enough)

hell, I have bought a game on steam after playing it on epic
 
No wonder publishers and small indies are taking it.
It could be that a lot of devs are indeed just suckling the money teat. Much like a certain Duck Game milked OUYA of their exclusivity money. Technically you could just muckspray unfinished shit on the epic store, work on it for a year or so with secured income, and then release it on Steam. Who cares about sales figures on a platform that no one's using when you're already being paid?

Arrow points the date of BL3 release. Not a good sign.
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The Satisfactory devs got it right, just put out an extremely early alpha on EGS and release a proper early access on Steam a year later.
 
Bear in mind, I think those payouts are an advance, not a no-strings payment. As in, Epic isn't just handing over a bag with ten mil in it, it's handing over the bag and then keeping the sales money. If/when the game sales cross that dollar amount, then Epic starts paying the company for whatever excess money the game makes. So it's less of a hit to Epic's wallet than appears at first glance. As long as a game sells well, they aren't really losing anything, but if it bombs they'll never recover the advance.
 
Bear in mind, I think those payouts are an advance, not a no-strings payment. As in, Epic isn't just handing over a bag with ten mil in it, it's handing over the bag and then keeping the sales money. If/when the game sales cross that dollar amount, then Epic starts paying the company for whatever excess money the game makes. So it's less of a hit to Epic's wallet than appears at first glance. As long as a game sells well, they aren't really losing anything, but if it bombs they'll never recover the advance.

Dude, there's no fucking way Control sells 10 million in 10 fucking years. Its not making a million dollars a year. Borderlands must have cost at least 30-50 million. No way it makes more than that in six months. Epic is not getting any returns on this shit. Even if its 100% of the sales after the exclusivity, they're basically taking out a fucking loan on themselves. They have to work to pay off the initial payment before they make any money.

It could be that a lot of devs are indeed just suckling the money teat. Much like a certain Duck Game milked OUYA of their exclusivity money. Technically you could just muckspray unfinished shit on the epic store, work on it for a year or so with secured income, and then release it on Steam. Who cares about sales figures on a platform that no one's using when you're already being paid?

Arrow points the date of BL3 release. Not a good sign.
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The Satisfactory devs got it right, just put out an extremely early alpha on EGS and release a proper early access on Steam a year later.

That's what I'd do. Rip that shit right off.
 
Bear in mind, I think those payouts are an advance, not a no-strings payment. As in, Epic isn't just handing over a bag with ten mil in it, it's handing over the bag and then keeping the sales money. If/when the game sales cross that dollar amount, then Epic starts paying the company for whatever excess money the game makes. So it's less of a hit to Epic's wallet than appears at first glance. As long as a game sells well, they aren't really losing anything, but if it bombs they'll never recover the advance.
Didn't that shitty woke Ooblets dev imply that they were seeing at least some of the money from selling it on Epic? I don't even think they get all of it.
 
> $10 mil
Ok, it's time for me to stop
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Didn't that shitty woke Ooblets dev imply that they were seeing at least some of the money from selling it on Epic? I don't even think they get all of it.
I don't remember that. All they said is that they got money upfront.
 
I don't remember that. All they said is that they got money upfront.
Didn't the lead dev say something like the money they got from Epic simply evens out the costs they spent making it, and any money over is a profit and thus they can't fail? He said it when he was bitching about indie developers having to rely on the "free market" or whatever.
 
Didn't the lead dev say something like the money they got from Epic simply evens out the costs they spent making it, and any money over is a profit and thus they can't fail? He said it when he was bitching about indie developers having to rely on the "free market" or whatever.
I believe it was more like: "epic paid us the amount of money we planned to get from sales anyway".
Talks about toxic free market were in a context of devs being polite and enduring to evil gamer boys so they could get those expected sales.
 
The Ooblets developers are one of those "good people" that are "tolerant, caring and against all forms of bigotry" that turn out to be bigoted close-minded assholes when they don't have to have a public face anymore, partly because they've never faced the slightest amount of adversity in life, outside of a Starbucks employee once spelling their name wrong. It seems to be a common trope when it comes to Californians especially, i wonder what the deal is over there.
 
Thinking about the situation now with Control basically recieving 10 mil up front or on installments, I honestly and genuinely think the chinks over at Tencent and Sweeney totally misrepresented how to actually make money back. What they're doing is the business equivalent of making it rain in front of some hookers, except instead of twenties, you're flicking million dollar checks at indie devs.

I honestly think we'll only see Epic's Store last until the next decade and watch them back down and come back to shaking hands with Valve yet again. What a bunch of retards.
 
I've actually seen screenshots of this thread on /v/ to argue that, because Kiwi Farms members don't like EGS, it has to be good. Not only is that the most desperate attempt at an argument I've ever seen but I don't get this mentality that 4chan is somehow morally superior to KF. I guess Jessica Slaughter and Shia LaBeouf just don't count anymore?

Anyway, even with all that Fortnite and UE cash Epic has lying around, paying 10 million for a limited exclusive that didn't even get that much attention online is insane. They're definitely not gonna be able to keep that up for long.
 
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