Devolver Digital's Observation is Now An Epic Store Exclusive

Published: March 26, 2019 3:45 PM /

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Announced during yesterday's State of Play event as a PlayStation 4 game, No Code's Observation will only ship on one additional platform at launch. On PC, you'll need to buy the game on the Epic Store. On Twitter, the developers frame the decisions as ones that will allow them to continue to make their type of games past Observation's launch. Devolver Digital is publishing the game, but there are no hints as of yet as to if other Devolver games will hit the Epic Store in any capacity.

https://twitter.com/_NoCode/status/1110538528771969024

Observation did have a Steam page last year, but it was removed from the service on March 15th. The only remnant now is a SteamDB page. Several games that have gone exclusive to Epic have kept their store page up with a 2020 date, so it's unknown is Observation will remain an exclusive or will venture off to other platforms in a year.

Talking about the game in a blog post after State of Play, creative director Jon McKellan states that Observation is "2001 only you play as HAL”.

We describe Observation as a narrative thriller; a sci-fi adventure game that is unique in its presentation and point of view, and gives players a new way to interact, view and take part in the story. The game is played visually from the perspective of SAM’s networked CCTV-style cameras around the station, as well as the various systems and connections he has, to fulfil his role as the station AI. Players use these systems to solve puzzles, navigate environments, uncover the story and assist Emma in finding out the true nature of the mission, the station, and himself. It’s a unique setup and allows the player to really put themselves in the shoes of an assistant AI.
As of now, Observation is now available for pre-order on PS4 and Epic Games Store. It costs $25 and premieres May 21st, 2019. TechRaptor has reached out to Devolver Digital regarding the status of their future PC releases and will update this story with further developments as they occur.


Quick Take

Acquiring the Devolver Digital library would be a major coup for Epic Games in their continuing quest to carve out a spot for themselves in PC gaming. Devolver continually delivers some of the most high-quality indie releases across the board, and their move to a new platform could lead to other companies following their lead. They also release the type of games that you can't really get from anyone else, so it's possible that those who have resisted the lure of the store before now might be persuaded by stuff like Pedro Must Dieand Weedcraft Inc. We'll have to see what Fork Parker and crew do next.

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Alex Santa Maria TechRaptor
| Staff Writer

Alex Santa Maria is TechRaptor's former Reviews Editor (2015-2020) and current occasional critic. Joining the site early in its life, Alex grew the review… More about Alex