It appears that Epic Games & some game developers using it are not on the same page with luring customers to the Epic Games store.
www.ign.com
No Epic exclusives (if we don't count the early access for Hades) have pulled, signalling that this was due to poor coordination on Epic's part with the developers. It really makes both ends look bad, though.
Games Seemingly Pull Out of Epic Store Sale - IGN
The Epic Games Store began its “Mega Epic Sale,” but has hit some snags along the way.
BY SOME IGN SHILL
The Epic Games Store began its “Mega Epic Sale,” but has hit some snags along the way, including two games being pulled off the store.
The Mega Epic Sale is offering some pretty major discounts, particularly the sweeping promotion where Epic itself is offering $10 off on all games priced $14.99 or higher, meaning games like Super Meat Boy that are normally $14.99 can currently be purchased for $4.99.
This discount comes courtesy of Epic itself, suggesting they’re paying for portions of the discount that extend beyond their 12% cut of the profits. This discount applies to games already on sale, so long as the sale price is above $14.99. Even unreleased games available for pre-purchase are receiving the discount, and everyone who pre-purchased an unreleased game prior to May 16 for $14.99 and above will get a $10 refund.
The sale is also offering several games for up to 75% off and is giving away a free game every week until the sale ends on June 13 - this week, it’s the narrative-based adventure Stories Untold, next week it’s Rime.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t be all smooth sailing for the Epic Store’s first big sale, as two games have been pulled off the storefront following the sale’s commencement. According to Kotaku, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 disappeared from the storefront following the start of the sale, and its Epic Store page is currently displaying a 404 error. This upcoming action RPG was reportedly available for a discounted price, but soon disappeared from the storefront. An Epic representative told Kotaku the game’s publisher Paradox decided not to participate in the sale.
Epic said of the removal, “If a developer or publisher chooses to not participate in our sales, we will honor that decision. Paradox Interactive has chosen to not participate in the Epic Mega Sale and the game has been temporarily removed from sale. If you’ve purchased Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 during the period when the discount did apply at the time of check out, Epic will honor that price.”
Paradox also provided Kotaku with a statement, saying “We are in discussion with Epic regarding the temporary removal of Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 from the Epic Game Store. The game will return to the store soon! Any purchases made while the game was discounted during the Epic Mega Sale will be honored and no Masquerade violations will be assessed.”'
Another game removed after the sale began is the sci-fi survival sim Oxygen Not Included, which similarly has an Epic Store page displaying a 404 error, though its developer and publisher Klei Entertainment has yet to give an official statement on the matter. The game is currently being sold for $25 on Steam, and the full version of the game is set to be released on May 29.
One of the messier parts of the sale has impacted Hades from Supergiant Games, which launched in early access on the Epic Games store in December. It’s currently listed for $19.99 at its full price, and $9.99 for its sale price, but according to Eurogamer was initially listed at the incorrect price of $6.99 after offering a 25% discount on top of Epic’s deal, but soon its sales price was increased to $14.99 with its base price going to $24.99.
Shortly before this, Supergiant said on Twitter it would announce a price increase “well in advance” if it were to happen. After the pricing went back down to its current rate, Supergiant created an official post that read "After the sale is over, on June 14, we will be raising the game's retail price to $24.99. We had intended to raise the retail price of the game soon, but made the decision rashly as part of the sale -- we didn't provide advance notice to our customers, despite previously stating we would do so. That was our mistake, and we sincerely apologize."
In early access Hades review, we called the game “Great” saying "Hades nails the core elements of the rogue-lite — tight combat, meaningful customization, varied abilities that differentiate runs, and interesting progression — all laced with a meaningful story hook."Outside of the Mega Epic Sale, check out these best TV deals, these best Apple dealsand some great Amazon deals.
No Epic exclusives (if we don't count the early access for Hades) have pulled, signalling that this was due to poor coordination on Epic's part with the developers. It really makes both ends look bad, though.
