Rebellion Boss Applauds Epic for Working so Hard to Build Its Store
Since it launched in December of last year the Epic Games Store has seen some huge success, complete with a few massive exclusive deals, like with Metro Exodus. In a new interview with GamesIndustry Jason Kingsley, boss at Rebellion, talked about how Epic persuaded him into a timed exclusive deal for the upcoming Zombie Army 4: Dead War.
Despite reluctance about an exclusive deal regarding their new upcoming game, Rebellion, developers behind the Sniper Elite series, has signed a timed exclusive deal with Epic Games for Zombie Army 4: Dead War. So how did it all happen? Jason Kingsley, boss at Rebellion, weighed in on it all. “Generally I think I would prefer not to do exclusives but I understand Epic’s position with it, and quite frankly they are paying through the nose to build their store. All credit to them, it’s fantastic, and we’ll take some of their money, thank you very much. [With Zombie Army 4: Dead War] it was a pure business case. I was aware that Epic was doing exclusives, [but] we hadn’t been offered at the time. I didn’t really think they would, because typically they go for the super big. Obviously they count our new title Zombie Army 4 as a big title, which is great, it’s a really nice bonus for us. I was quite impressed by the numbers they offered. Sometimes, as an independent developer, you’ve gotta take your chances. When something like that is offered… you sort of share the risk and share the reward.”
In addition to applauding Epic for doing what it takes to get the timed exclusive deals in their store, Kingsley stated that he believes the Epic Games Store might be a wake up call for Steam. “I think partly it’s also a bit of a kick up the backside for anybody whenever a new [competitor] comes into the marketplace. It makes you reflect. I mean, developers turn up with a brilliant game and… it makes you focus on your game as well. It’s exactly the same for multinationals.”
As of right now Zombie Army 4: Dead War doesn’t have a release window yet, however Rebellion has confirmed it will be available at some point in early 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. What do you think about Epic Games working so hard to win over gaming companies like Rebellion to earn timed exclusive deals? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and don’t forget to keep it locked for updates!