There’s been an undeniable level of strife between Steam supporters and developers creating exclusive titles for the Epic Games Store. Touted for their mission to better support developers and their respective roles as creators in the video game industry and the rivalry is creating a notable divide within the gaming community. Renown studios and titles made the transition to Epic Games including Metro Exodus, Borderlands 3, and even Rocket League studio Psyonix was recently acquired by E.G. It affects more independent creators as well, including Outer Wilds.

Developed by indie studio Mobius and published by Annapurna Interactive, Outer Wilds is an open-world exploration title where players will find themselves exploring planets within the cosmos. Whether you’re roasting marshmallows by the campfire or diving head-first into a tornado, the hand-crafted world of Outer Wilds encourages curious minds to venture into the unknown. However, fans aren’t happy with the decision to make it a timed exclusive on the Epic Games store. Mobius said in a statement:

Outer Wilds will first be released on XBox One and on PC via the Epic Games Store, with additional platforms coming later. Rest assured that we read all of your comments and our goal is to bring the game to your preferred platform as quickly as possible.

Throughout the development of the game, we’ve welcomed helpful partnerships with Annapurna Interactive, XBox, and Epic to support us and keep our small studio running long enough to ship the game at the level of quality that it is today. Each of these partnerships has enabled us to make the game better and more accessible for everyone who will play it.”

Originally revealed for Steam, the team recently announced their timed exclusivity after years of development. Despite plans to launch in 2016 for PC, Linux, and Mac, Mobius and crew shifted their focus to Xbox One and PC instead. This news comes as a shock to those who have supported Outer Wilds via Fig crowdfunding.

Some fans were transparent in their disapproval. “I know it’s embarrassing for you guys,” said one Fig supporter. “I take no pleasure in what goes on, or complaining about it, and realize there’s a very real possibility you guys may have signed on with Annapurna Interactive, and then they signed stuff mostly behind your back which surprised you and forced you into the situation you’re in now. I pity what you’re likely dealing with, but these choice of words are not how to quell the flames. You should have at least put in a cushion-phrase somewhere in there and said it like ‘more accessible in the long run’ instead.”

Folks on Reddit had similar reactions as well, saying:

I understand the publisher made this deal and not the dev team, and I understand money is a driving force behind the decision. However, I feel this is unethical for crowdfunding campaigns. I didn’t want to support the game so I could play it months after release on the platform the campaign originally promoted. If I was told my contribution meant I could play the game “eventually”, I would not have pledged. I do not wish to support the Epic Store at this time (it’s feature incomplete, it’s a potential privacy risk), and unfortunately, this means I can’t support the Outer Wilds team, as much as I believe in the project and am excited to see how far it has come.”

There are other, less rational reactions to Mobius’ announcement on the decision to make Outer Wilds exclusive as well. What do you think about Mobius and Annapurna’s decision to make Outer Wilds a timed exclusive at the Epic Games Store? It will eventually release on Steam, but it will be a delayed compared to the launch on the aforementioned client. Let us know what you think in the comments section below or start a conversation on Don’t Feed the Gamers Facebook page. To stay up to date on gaming and entertainment news as it happens, follow us on Twitter! Here are some of our latest:

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Outer Wilds is scheduled for release this year. An exact date has not been specified yet, but it will be available on PC and Xbox One.