One of the leaders of Larian Studios responded to Tim Sweeney’s latest tirade. Sweeney is the head of Epic Games.

In response to the CEO of New Blood’s claims that free games on the Epic Games Store are causing an increase in Steam sales, Sweeney once again expressed dissatisfaction with the fate of his store. According to Sweeney, Epic wins some transactions, while Steam wins others. One thing remains constant, however: players and developers win because they have more options and better deals.

This time, Sweeney’s comments were disputed by Michael Douse, publishing director at Larian Studios. Douse cited the critically acclaimed Alan Wake 2 from Remedy as an example. It became profitable after selling more than two million copies, likely due in part to its exclusivity on the Epic Games Store.

I understand Epic entirely funded Alan Wake 2 but this altruistic pro-developer talk doesn’t sit well when Remedy seemingly went into financial crisis because they couldn’t tap Steam for AW2 sales suffering potentially hundreds of millions in lost revenue. https://t.co/ylTCFsXIOO

— Very AFK (@Cromwelp) January 21, 2026

“I understand Epic funded Alan Wake 2, but this altruistic, pro-developer talk doesn’t sit well when Remedy went into a financial crisis because they couldn’t use Steam for AW2 sales, potentially losing hundreds of millions in revenue. Competition is good and important, but it’s hard to accept the message when there are demonstrable cases of games underperforming as a result of this tactic. The store’s viability depends on its ability to convert hundreds of millions of Fortnite players into mid- to hardcore premium gamers. I don’t see the Fortnite brand attempting to do that. Giving everyone everything for free might increase sales numbers, but it doesn’t create a viable storefront for selling premium experiences,” Douse said.

If the Epic Games Store wants to compete with Steam, it should first offer a robust platform similar to Steam’s before throwing money around and giving away free games like bribes. It should also stop acquiring permanent exclusivity rights for PC. In the case of Alan Wake 2, however, Epic did finance the game. Then, perhaps, it would be more tempting to play my free games on Steam instead of buying them.

Hi. There would be no Alan Wake 2 without Epic Publishing. The publishing deal with Epic was very fair to Remedy. While these complex deals can often take even a year to reach their conclusion, and may not always be fair to the developer, this one was. And it only took months to… https://t.co/UOPtuUdeYZ

— Remedy Entertainment 🔻Wishlist CONTROL Resonant! (@remedygames) January 22, 2026

Remedy Entertainment has also weighed in on the debate, stating that without Epic Publishing, Alan Wake 2 would not exist.

Forrás: PCGamer