Publisher and developer Ubisoft has struck a major distribution deal with Epic Games for the PC version of The Division 2, GamesIndustry reports.
With this recent development, The Division 2 will become semi-exclusive to the Epic Games Store. Ubisoft will still distribute the looter-shooter RPG through their online store, but it will forgo making it available for purchase on Steam. Steam previously had a product page for the game, but that has since been taken down as a result of the exclusive distribution deal. When asked about a later Steam release for The Division 2, a Ubisoft representative stated via e-mail that, “We have no plans currently on releasing Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 on Steam.”
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This deal which marks a major turning point in the digital distribution platform war does not just include The Division 2. In a blog post, Epic announced that it will be partnering with Ubisoft on distributing “additional select titles to be announced during the coming year.” Similarly, Ubisoft addressed concerns surrounding pre-orders that were made through other distribution prior to the negotiation of the deal. They stated that they will still honor all pre-orders made prior to the game’s release on March 15th.
The two companies will also be collaborating on the integration of Ubisoft’s UPlay launcher with some of Epic’s own services.
Now while it has been successful in the indie gaming market, the Epic Games Store has never been able to compete with the distribution behemoth that is Steam. However, now that the company is going to add a few popular AAA titles things may be looking up for them and looking down for the competition. The reason behind this is that Epic has made itself more attractive to prospective business partners by offering to maximize the profits of games sold on their service while taking only a small cut of the profits. Presently, Epic collects a 12% cut from every sale versus the 30% cut that Steam has collected from games being sold on their store. With this in mind it is likely that other AAA publishers could pursue similar business agreements with Epic in an effort to please investors.
“We aim to provide the most publisher-friendly store, providing direct access to customers and an 88% revenue split, enabling game creators to further re-invest in building great games,” said Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic.
What this deal could mean for Steam’s future as more publishers and developers could potentially forgo their partnerships with them is unknown. It is certain though that this deal will serve as a huge financial blow to the company since Ubisoft titles typically are highly profitable with titles like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey topping previous sales records for the current generation of consoles.
If D.C. falls, America falls. Washington D.C. is on the brink of collapse. Lawlessness and instability threaten our society, and rumors of a coup in the capitol are only amplifying the chaos. All active Division agents are desperately needed to save the city before it’s too late.
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 releases on March 15th, 2019.
Pre-order your copy here.
What do you think of this news? Is Steam losing steam? Let us know in the comments below!
