© Provided by The Star Online 'The Last Guardian', the story of an adventurous boy and protective mythical beast, launched in 2016. — Sony Interactive Entertainment Deals with the developers behind award winners Control, Inside and The Last Guardian mark the launch of Epic Games Publishing.
Having built a PC gaming store on top of the successes of computer, console and mobile juggernaut Fortnite, Epic Games is moving into publishing.
Its terms mean that, somewhat unusually, game developers that come onboard would retain full ownership and control of their work and franchises.
They would receive funding for up to 100% of all development and marketing costs, splitting any resultant profits on a 50-50 basis.
That could lead to stronger, more confident visions from game studios, while putting pressure on other publishers to adopt a similar approach.
Since January 2019, Epic has used a combination of weekly giveaways and PC exclusives to attract customers to its store.
Preferential terms for publishers and self-publishing developers have helped stock its catalogue.
After an incredible year for Fortnite, Epic launched its PC store, proposing a 12-88 split with publishers.
This pushed Steam and other PC storefronts to lower their own take from a standard 30%.
Epic Games Publishing's first three partners are Finland's Remedy Entertainment, Denmark's Playdead and Japan's GenDesign, the company announced.
The label's scope moves beyond PC and encompasses consoles as well, according to Remedy.
Remedy created the Max Payne action game franchise — now owned by Grand Theft Auto" group Rockstar — before moving onto Twin Peaks-influenced Alan Wake, time-stopping cinematic adventure Quantum Break, and stylish, award-winning 2019 release Control.
Playdead developed atmospheric side-scrolling adventures Limbo and Inside.
GenDesign was assembled by creative director Fumito Ueda from iconic studio Team Ico, responsible for PlayStation epics Ico and Shadow Of The Colossus.
The newer team completed the former's work on The Last Guardian, also a PlayStation exclusive.
Remedy's own multi-platform deal is for its "next two unannounced games" for PC and "next-generation consoles", ie. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, it explained in a separate announcement.
"The first project is Remedy's most ambitious one yet, an AAA multi-platform game already in pre-production. The second is a new, smaller-scale project set in the same franchise."
Epic had previously offered the PC version of Remedy's Control under a nine-month timed exclusivity deal with publisher 505 Games. — AFP Relaxnews
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