![]() The delay is because "developing software is hard," CEO Tim Sweeney tells The Verge. Epic first started beta-testing the feature in August 2021 ahead of an expected 2022 debut. The self-publish mechanism has taken a long tim to reach this point. While it's potentially more lucrative for most developers, it's particularly beneficial for small studios that may want to reach a large audience without giving up a large chunk of their revenue. The company also doesn't demand a portion of in-app purchases if they're made using a non-Epic payment system. Epic takes a relatively modest 12 percent cut where its main rival, Steam, can take up to 30 percent depending on sales figures. Will it prevent the EGS from becoming another cesspit of endless content, though? We'll have to wait and see.As with the Epic Games Store's usual practices, the main draw is the higher cut of revenue. Just thinking about it makes me sigh and put my head in my hands, but hey, I'm heartened that Epic are making some effort to take responsibility for what's on their storefront, even if that doesn't extend to NFT junk right now. The big caveat to all this, of course, is that Epic still allow games with NFTs / crypto / terrible blockchain nonsense in them (which Valve discourage in their SteamWorks guidelines, although some of these things still clearly still get through from time to time), so I guess the question becomes: would you rather have a storefront with porn but not crypto, or crypto but not porn? While their guidelines state they don't allow any games with an "Adult Only" rating, for example, I just hope we don't end up with another YouTube situation where LGBTQ+ content gets caught in the crossfire. Then again, I also wish Epic was a bit clearer on their own definition of pornography. In general, it seems that Steam's approach is still to "allow everything onto the Steam Store, except for things we decide are illegal, or straight up trolling", according to this blog post from 2018, and there's a part of me that wishes Steam was more rigorous in what it allowed on its storefront. But as last month's report from the folks at People Make Games recently brought to light, there's still an awful lot of dross that contradicts these guidelines and makes it through to launch. Valve have their own guidelines on what devs should and shouldn't publish on Steam, too, which does, in fairness, include a lot of the same kinds of content. ![]() Only once both stages have been passed can devs launch their game, and take advantage of Epic's 88% / 12% revenue split. Epic's own self-service publishing flow infographic also includes two review phases before devs can actually launch their game too - first the store page is submitted for a "content review", and then the game itself receives a "requirement review". ![]() There are more detailed guidelines on their definitions of prohibited content over on their developer resource site, where Epic also state that if complaints are received about prohibited content on live store pages, they'll re-review those pages and potentially remove them altogether. It's to do with "prohibited content", with Epic stating the following: Certain types of content are prohibited on the store, including but not limited to: hateful or discriminatory content pornography illegal content content that infringes on intellectual property you do not own or have rights to use scams, frauds, or deceptive practices, such as fake games or malware. The final requirement is perhaps the most interesting, though, and most importantly, the one that stands in stark contrast to how Valve currently deal with self-publishing over on Steam. ![]() In other words, the game people end up playing is consistent with the assets and descriptions on the game's store page, with Epic reserving the right to reject games that don't meet these levels of quality and functionality. Your game must also download, install, launch and function properly, natch. ![]() These include making sure your game has cheevos and PC crossplay for multiplayer games, for example, as well as ensuring age ratings are correct for regional distribution. There are still a couple of "notable requirements" devs will need to follow in order to qualify for self-publishing, which Epic say are "designed to provide a best-in-class player experience that doesn't lock players into a single store". To see this content please enable targeting cookies. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |