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Epic is developing a PC exclusive game

Blizzard

Banned
Maybe I missed something, why are you guys so sure its F2P?
The argument seems to be that no arena shooter (and/or PC exclusive multiplayer game) is going to succeed these days without being free to play.

*edit* A couple of quotes for example:
Thinking otherwise is down right crazy.

There's no way aspic is going to throw Gears like budgets after a PC game. As awesome as the PC is a gaming platform, it is simply not mainstream or where the big push will ever be in terms of marketing. Money wise I can't say, but I'll guess there is more money to be made in an console release.

Yeah, I have no interest in a Free to play UT when I can still find a match for the original with tons of user made content. My UT folder is over 9 gigs at this point.

It's not going to be anything graphically impressive either because they are bound by MS and Sony to not show their UE4 engine until next gen platforms show up. They also don't have the budget to spend money on a PC exclusive UE4 game. So it's almost surely going to be F2P.
 

Kintaro

Worships the porcelain goddess
I have no faith in Epic on PC. That is very sad to say, but why should I have faith in them? Their engines? Pfft.
 

Demon Ice

Banned
and after a few months it will come to the console

a la Witcher 2

If their game pushes the PC like Witcher 2 did I have absolutely no issues with that. That game was clearly built for PC from the ground up, the 360 version looks good but there's no comparison with the PC.
 
Nope I did the same thing I did when they charged for it. Didn't buy/download/play it. Not interested in that game at all.

So...you won't play F2P games simply because they are F2P, but TF2 is not included in this rule since you're not interested in it.

So what if a game you were interested in went from costing money to being F2P?
 

lilltias

Member
Maybe they have seen the final specs on the next gens and just said "Fuck it then. At least we have sauce enough for our game in the PC space"
 

plc268

Member
I'd love to see a mashup of UT99 and UT2004 go F2P. Make the business model based off of cosmetic stuff (like TF2) and don't lock actual content behind a pay wall.

That's my dream anyway, and it's fairly modest, imo.
 

gabbo

Member
I'd love to see a mashup of UT99 and UT2004 go F2P. Make the business model based off of cosmetic stuff (like TF2) and don't lock actual content behind a pay wall.

That's my dream anyway, and it's fairly modest, imo.

Well they have always released gameplay content both small and massive in size for free (see Black Edition for UT3 and previous Bonus Packs), why stop now?
 

plc268

Member
Well they have always released gameplay content both small and massive in size for free (see Black Edition for UT3 and previous Bonus Packs), why stop now?

Well the idea of a f2p game is to still make money, while allowing people to play for free. Some f2p take different approaches and put certain content or weapons behind a paywall (or pay to win), whereas others (primarily tf2 comes to mind) make paying completely optional and cosmetic.
 

vocab

Member
Yes there is a market for arena shooters. Hell, there's a market FOR GOOD COMPETITIVE FPS'S, but we haven't gotten one since Painkiller. That was aeons ago, and it died a sad death despite its amazingly fast gameplay. It had a shitty online =/

I've been sick of the military shooter for a long time, and moved to other genres simply because they haven't offered the complexity, gun play, and skill celing like Quake 3, UT99, and CS did.

UT3 was just fucked up.
 

gabbo

Member
Well the idea of a f2p game is to still make money, while allowing people to play for free. Some f2p take different approaches and put certain content or weapons behind a paywall (or pay to win), whereas others (primarily tf2 comes to mind) make paying completely optional and cosmetic.

What I meant was, given Epic's history with the UT franchise, they would seem more likely to take the Valve/TF2 route for important updates/features (maps, game modes) and make the less consequential stuff paid (skins, team emblems, voice packs, mutators).
 

Fredescu

Member
Maybe I missed something, why are you guys so sure its F2P?
The only reason to make a PC exclusive is if it's something that can only be done on PC, otherwise you're just leaving money on the table. Epic mostly make shooters, and those have been successful on console.

Epic also make and license engines, so even if they're making something that looks so mindblowingly good that it can only run on PCs, they have a competency and interest relevant to their core business in making whatever it is scalable down to consoles. Even if it could only run on next gen consoles, they wouldn't describe that as "PC only".

If they were making some kind of game that is not a shooter but benefits from mouse and keyboard controls, such as an RTS, I think they would also consider putting it on tablets considering their iOS experience and considering they'd probably be creating a new IP to do it. It is possible that they're doing this and that it requires controls that can't be done on a touch screen, or with Move or Kinect or Wiimote. It's pretty unlikely though.

The main thing that PC offers that consoles can't is complete freedom when it comes to distribution and pricing. Free to play, or some other unusual payment and distribution model is far and away the most likely reason a large rich studio has in making a PC exclusive game.
 

USIGSJ

Member
Bulletstorm 2 was in the works but it got officially shelved.

http://au.gamespot.com/news/epic-shelved-bulletstorm-sequel-6370603

We thought a lot about a sequel, and had done some initial development on it, but we found a project that we thought was a better fit for People Can Fly," he said. "We haven't announced that yet, but we will be announcing it pretty soon."

"I think Bulletstorm was very critically successful, and I think a lot of folks really enjoyed seeing something new," he said. "From a sales perspective it was good, but not amazing. I think EA was hoping we'd do better."

"We made a PC version of Bulletstorm, and it didn't do very well on PC and I think a lot of that was due to piracy. It wasn't the best PC port ever, sure, but also piracy was a pretty big problem."
 

injurai

Banned
I'm actually hoping for a new IP, but seeing as its an exlusive I doubt that. Probably Unreal of some sorts if anything.


Veiled threat to console makers "if you don't beef up specs we're going to do PC exclusives"?

That's actually a very interesting insight. Whether intentional or not I hope this starts to raise some eyes from the first parties.
 

Darg

Neo Member
Unreal Tournament 4 on Unreal Engine 4 featuring melee combat from the Championship games, and playing like a proper sequel to UT2K4.

Epic instantly redeemed for wasting six years on Gears.


Indeed, Fusing unreal championship 2 melee gameplay along with all the dodging maneuver's (along with making some balances, tweaks and some evolutionary steps), with tournament's gunplay, and with the manpower focused on balanced with this fusion would definately create one heck of an amazing game to be played in the leagues (meaning an amazing arena combat revival).
 

Darg

Neo Member
Now that i recall weren't they supposed to be making a pc only game called "mercenary ops", i remember reading it awhile back, not sure if they mentioned it was pc exclusive or multiplatform though.
 

Chiggs

Member
Pretty exciting news. I just hope it's not Unreal Tournament-related. However, if they want to make a new Unreal or remake Unreal...awesome.
 

Stallion Free

Cock Encumbered
What would be the point in that? Unreal 1/2 feel so generic that to continue that "universe" would just be pointless. They had like no identity or soul.

I completed them finally for the first time this year and they were boringggggg.
 

gabbo

Member
Now that i recall weren't they supposed to be making a pc only game called "mercenary ops", i remember reading it awhile back, not sure if they mentioned it was pc exclusive or multiplatform though.

That's Epic Chinese branch and was already announced, and as far as we know, not related to this project.
 

kamspy

Member
Hope: UT4 blowout balls to the walls SciFi FPS with mean ass multiplayer to get MS and Sony's ass in motion. Don't forget it took Doom 3, FEAR, and Far Cry to come out on PC to get them rolling on PS3 and 360. Epic already has a history of forcing MS's hand. Demanding the 512MB of unified vRAM in 360 for Gears exclusive.

Fear:In browser UT with full GFWL integration. :(
 
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