In an announcement today, Julian Gollop, developer of the X-Com series, as well as the designer of the upcoming Phoenix Point, has revealed that the game will launch as an Epic Games Store exclusive and will remain as such for one year. Gollop assures that the deal brokered with Epic will be both beneficial for the creators of the game as well as its players. “This deal is a real game-changer for our studio because, thanks to Epic support, it is certain that we will be able to update and expand Phoenix Point for years to come,” Gollop states in the video, which you can check out below.
Phoenix Point is an upcoming turn-based, tactical strategy game similar to the X-Com series. Players will take control of a lone base called Phoenix Point, and will be tasked with holding off an invasion of increasingly horrific aliens. The enemies will mutate after every round, making player strategies and tactics key in stopping a hostile alien takeover.
Gollop says that the deal will be particularly enticing to those who have backed the game or preordered up to the date of the video’s posting. “Every piece of paid DLC we release for Phoenix Point during our first year will be automatically added to your Epic Store account when you redeem your key,” says Gollop. That’s a pretty sweet deal for those looking to play Phoenix Point on PC or Mac through Epic.
Gollop, however, understands that this throws a wrench in the works for players who were looking to play the game on a different platform, such as Steam or GOG.com. Gollop and Snapshot Games are offering their apologies as well as a full refund for those who would like it. He points to the Phoenix Point FAQ for more information. Key points include the game’s release outside of Epic after the first year, as well as console releases. According to the FAQ, Phoenix Point will release on both Steam and GOG.com after the first year and will be available only on Xbox One at launch so far for consoles. For even more information, there will be an AMA hosted on the Phoenix Point subreddit on March 13 at 12pm PST.
Phoenix Point is expected to release sometime in September 2019 and will be available on PC and MacOS through the Epic Games Store, as well as Xbox One at launch. The game will be available through Steam and GOG.com after the first year.