Outer Wilds' developer Mobius Digital has officially announced: The game will be released on Xbox One and PC via Epic Games Store only, and "additional platform coming later". This decision not only upset Steam but also the game backers after Mobius had previously promised when raising funds that they will release the game through Steam.

Outer Wilds, a space exploration title funded by public, will be released through Epic Games Store only
Outer Wilds, a space exploration title funded by the public, will be released through Epic Games Store only

“Outer Wilds” skips Steam on release, only available through Epic Games Store

After several examples of famous titles to abandon Steam, it’s not even astonishing anymore this time.

Mobius' title Outer Wilds is the latest game to be stolen exclusively by Epic Games. Updating information for its crowdfunding backers through Fig, the developer has stated that the game will come out first for Xbox One and PC through Epic games Store. Other storefronts are going to get the game at a later date.

The game was earlier promised to be released on Steam
The game was earlier promised to be released on Steam

Explaining the reason why they choose Epic Game Store to be the release portal of the game, Mobius has said that it was their efforts to pay back for Epic’s support to the game development process, and they can't just take them for granted

Reactions of Fig funders:

The decision of Mobius is understandable since Outer Wilds would not be able to be released at this time if it hadn’t been for the financial support from Epic. However, the crowd was also very supportive since the early stage of development. And with Outer Wilds not being delivered through Steam, the backers have their reasons to be upset.

One unsatisfied Reddit user expressed that he understands money matters a lot, but it's not a good choice to go against your promises, especially for a Kickstarter project.

Outer Wilds successfully reached its funding goal with the help of 968 backers
Outer Wilds successfully reached its funding goal with the help of 968 backers

Another backer pointed out that this will be a bad example for a crowdfunding campaign, referring it to a "kick in the teeth", and he will immediately refund if it's possible.Since we don’t know whether the decision would bring glories or harms to the game, we still have to wait a little longer to be sure.

About the game

Outer Wilds is a crowdfunded game that allows you to explore a fictional solar system, discovering the secret behind it or die before succeeding, maybe from oxygen lack, or under the hand of a cosmic monster.

You will be respawned at the starting village every time you die, and doing the exploration all over again. However, the cosmo will change over time so there will be no same locations every time you re-visit it.

You can watch some images of Outer Wilds in the video below:

The game doesn’t have a specific release date yet, but it will be timed Epic Game Store exclusive. Outer Wilds is expected to be out this year, after its delay in December 2018.