A new trailer has been released for Devolver Digital and No Code’s upcoming Observation, along with a May 21 release date. In Observation, you are stranded in space, but, rather than controlling the astronaut, you take the helm of the space station’s AI, SAM. Cycling through the ship’s numerous cameras and operating the station’s varied electronics systems, the mystery of what happened to the crew, save for lone-survivor Dr. Emma Fisher, unfolds.
While a brand new trailer is certainly exciting, it rides along with some less-than-stellar news (depending on who you ask.) A Tweet by the Devolver page confirmed that the game will only be available on PS4 and the Epic Games Store at launch. The news was met with severe backlash on Twitter, with would-be players vowing to not buy the game. Some claim to be blacklisting Devolver entirely, scrubbing all games with the Devolver name attached from their wishlists. Those against the “sellout” are calling out Devolver’s hypocrisy, as they frequently mock similar tactics by the gaming industry at conferences such as E3. If you haven’t seen them, you should definitely check out their 2017 and 2018 E3 press conferences; they’re nothing short of art (but definitely only for mature audiences.)
Observation is one of the latest in a long string of games going Epic exclusive for their PC launch. Originally set to release on Steam, the store page has now vanished with the news. Observation now joins Epic exclusives such as Metro Exodus and the Quantic Dream trio. While Epic has promised that the stranglehold on exclusives will eventually end, it does not appear to be soon.
Observation will be available on PS4 and PC through the Epic Games Store on May 21.