If you’re looking to pre-order Metro Exodus on Steam, then you’re out of luck, because Deep Silver just announced that the latest Metro video game will be available on PC exclusively through the Epic Games store.
This sudden move is quite unusual but not new, as it follows Ubisoft’s Division 2 example. Given the fact that Metro Exodus is set to release in about 2 weeks; the announcement left many players who already pre-ordered the game from Valve’s Steam; wondering what will happen to their digital copies.
According to Valve, “Steam owners will be able to access the game and any future updates or DLC”; meaning that you’ll still be able to play Metro Exodus on Steam if you already pre-ordered a copy.
On the other hand, as of today, if you want to secure a PC copy of Metro Exodus before February 15, 2019, when the game releases; you’ll have to do it through Epic Games.
So, why did Deep Silver’s Metro Exodus leave Steam?
CEO, Dr. Klemens Kundratitz announced that the company’s decision is based on the storefront’s 88/12% revenue split; which according to him is “a game changer”.
Simply put, Valve is charging more than Epic Games for each Metro Exodus copy, leaving Deep Silver with less money.
While many (including Valve) consider this an unfair move, Dr. Klemens Kundratitz points out that “by teaming up with Epic we will be able to invest more into the future of Metro”.
From this statement, we can understand that a new Metro video game is possible; and that the funds Deep Silver is saving by teaming with Epic Games will help the developer’s future projects.
Valve’s response is obviously the one you should expect from a partner replaced by someone else:
“We think the decision to remove the game is unfair to Steam customers, especially after a long pre-sale period. We apologize to Steam customers that were expecting it to be available for sale through the February 15th release date, but we were only recently informed of the decision and given limited time to let everyone know.”
So where does this leave us? Steam users who already have a valid Metro Exodus pre-order will not be affected by this change and will be able to play the game and future content as usual.
For those who wish to pre-order Metro Exodus on PC starting today, or buy it after its release, Epic Games store is the only option.
Finally, if you are a console gamer, you don’t have to worry about this modification because there are better options for you.
You can pre-order Metro Exodus for PS4 and Xbox One from Gamestop if you are in the US; or from GAME if you are in the UK.
Featuring a script twice the size of Last Light & Metro 2033; Metro Exodus is one of the most expected video games of 2019.
