Published , by Chris Jarrard
Published , by Chris Jarrard
The Epic Games Store has secured another game that was once planned for release on Valve’s Steam platform. This time, the game in question is not an indie game or even one that runs on Epic’s Unreal Engine 4, but rather Ubisoft’s Snowdrop Engine-powered AAA shooter The Division 2.
Arguably the biggest PC gaming news bombshell to drop towards the end of last year, the announcement of the Epic Games Store and its widely publicized revenue split turned heads in the PC game development world. Shortly after the store was announced, the 2018 Game Awards Show featured a handful of new game announcements that proclaimed Epic Games Store exclusivity.
While the initial wave of games exclusive to Epic’s store were of the indie variety, The Division 2 marks the first big-budget release to remove its listing from Steam and go Epic-exclusive. The game will still operate via Ubisoft’s uPlay launcher as well as be sold directly through uPlay. While Valve recently adjusted Steam’s revenue sharing for big releases to offer an 80% share, Ubisoft must have decided that the additional 8% offered by Epic was worth eschewing the exposure provided by Steam.
Ubisoft did not say if the game would be sold via other outlets. The first Division game, as well as all other Ubisoft PC titles that run on uPlay, have been available for sale from a seemingly endless number of third-party retailers like Amazon, Humble Bundle, Fanatical, and more. The Division 2 is still being openly listed for sale on Humble Bundle and other digital storefronts as of this writing.
It is unknown if these other storefronts are offering Ubisoft the same extended profit margin on each sale as Epic or if the publisher has decided that they simply no longer want to do business on Steam on this particular title. Ubisoft told Variety that Far Cry: New Dawn will still be sold on Steam, so the relationship does not appear to be totally over.