Sins of a Solar Empire 2 Publisher Explains Epic Games Store Stealth Launch: 'Only One Shot' at a Steam Release

ign.com:

Sins of a Solar Empire 2, the anticipated strategy sequel by Ironclad Games that is being published by Stardock, is finally releasing on Steam this summer. But unbeknownst to many fans, it effectively stealth launched on the Epic Game Store more than a year ago — a release that publisher Stardock has mostly declined to publicize until now.

Sins of a Solar Empire 2 is the sequel to the cult-favorite PC strategy game released in 2008. Like the original, it will combine elements of real-time strategy with 4X empire-building, but practically speaking it's an excuse to see a lot of cool spaceship battles. The new game will add support for multiple cores — yes, the original is that old — while refining numerous elements of the game, such as orbiting planets.

The sequel was quietly released into early access in late 2022, leaving some fans confused over the nature of Stardock's relationship with Epic and leading to speculation over whether an exclusivity arrangement was in place. Asked for clarification, Epic declined to comment on terms with developers and publishers.

Several months after its initial release, Stardock removed the early access flag but otherwise remained silent. It wasn't until Wednesday's announcement that Sins of a Solar Empire 2 went public with a major announcement to fans and the press.

In a statement sent to IGN, CEO Brad Wardell explained why Stardock held back its marketing push until now. "We view Sins 2 as an ongoing service that continues to evolve over time, which you can see with our regular update cadence over the past 18 months since the game first appeared on Epic Games Store," Wardell said.

"Epic has been and continues to be a great partner, but we know that many of our fans are dedicated to Steam for their libraries and we know we only get one shot at a Steam release, so we decided to wait on doing any marketing push until we were ready for that. We’ve been working on a massive update for the past several months to coincide with the Steam