Oddworld: Soulstorm is the latest Epic Games Store exclusive

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Creator Lorne Lanning cites 'additional financial assistance' as reason.

(Image credit: Oddworld Inhabitants)

Oddworld: Soulstorm will release exclusively for the Epic Games Store, the game's creator Lorne Lanning announced today. In a statement posted to Twitter, Lanning cited financial assistance as the primary reason behind the move.

"What I would like to do is provide you with the reasoning that went into bringing the PC version of Soulstorm to the Epic Games store as an exclusive because you deserve to know," Lanning writes. "We've been financing Soulstorm 100% ourselves. Soulstorm is our most ambitious game ever and we are committed to creating a great game that meets the highest level of quality. But to create the version of Soulstorm we want, and you deserve, we needed additional financial assistance.

"Ambition is important," the statement goes on, "and it pushes me to try to overachieve. What pushes me even more is my commitment to you: you deserve great games. As an indie publisher we must evaluate partnerships that will help us achieve our goals while protecting our vision for Soulstorm and the quintology.

"Epic supports our goal and commitment and is willing to help us achieve them by providing us with an advance on our PC sales, and we are incredible grateful."

Here's the full statement:

The latest Epic Store exclusive comes days after the creator of Darq revealed a little bit about how the company's exclusivity works, following their decision to turn down Epic's more lucrative offer in exchange for sticking with Steam.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is due to release in early 2020. Wes played it earlier this year, writing that "Soulstorm looks like it's going to be much more about picking the solution I find the cleverest, or funniest, or sneakiest, and that's refreshing—especially coming from the remake of a 20-year-old game."

Shaun Prescott
Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.