The sequel to 2018’shighly acclaimed arcade racerHorizon Chase Turbohas officially launched on PC and the Nintendo Switch, though many might’ve missed this due to its Epic Games Store exclusivity. Indeed, the king of free game giveaways has scored yet another exclusivity deal, following a relatively long period of not going after them. The last high-profile Epic exclusive wasDead Island 2, discounting the variety of Ubisoft titles that are specifically avoiding Steam, but this time, it makes sense that it’s happening.
Notably,Epic Games acquired theHorizon Chasedeveloper, Aquiris, earlier in 2023. Given that he studio had previously releasedHorizon Chase 2on mobile phones with plans to release it on the Switch and PC later on, it was rather easy to see the writing on the wall.
Horizon Chase 2 is unlikely to release on Steam
The availability of a solidly reviewed new arcade racing game on PC is great news, but the fact that Epic had previously acquired the developer means it’s not going to be coming to Steam – or any other PC gaming platform, for that matter – anytime soon. In and of itself, this isn’t necessarily a huge deal for Aquiris’ desktop audiences, but it does mean installing it on, say,the Steam Deck, won’t be as straightforward as it could’ve been.
This putsHorizon Chase 2in the same situation as the upcomingAlan Wake 2. Remedy Entertainment’s new flagship isdue to launch in late October, and it too will be an Epic Store exclusive. The situation is particularly interesting asEpic decided to fund the development of the gamein the first place, meaning thatAlan Wake 2wouldn’t even be a thing without the company’s involvement.
Epic Games Store exclusivity isn’t as big of a deal in 2023 as it was when the company first started putting its foot into the PC game store market, but it may well end up being an issue for some gamers still, depending on how easy or hard they find it to juggle multiple game launchers around.
