Untitled Goose Game Dev Explains Epic Games Store Exclusivity Decision

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While going Epic Games Store-exclusive can be seen as a shock to some, the team behind Untitled Goose Game has explained why the puzzle-stealth title went down that route. According to developer House House, taking Epic's offer of exclusivity was a "very easy" choice.

In an interview with Gamesindustry.Biz, House House said partnering with Epic allowed the studio to make a "very safe bet." House House's Michael McMaster said he and the studio didn't want to make any assumptions about Untitled Goose Game's success solely based on social media buzz, saying it can be "very fickle and success can feel a bit arbitrary at times."

With Epic's funding, McMaster concluded that the team was able to "ensure continued sustainability" for House House, giving them the stability to go from part-time to full-time developers. "It's no secret there's an incentive to partner with Epic and release with them," McMaster said. "Being able to sustain our company was a pretty big deal."

But though Untitled Goose Game is exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC, the studio launched the quirky game on Nintendo Switch as well. In talking to GI.Biz, House House's Jacob Strasser said the Switch fit the game's aesthetic, citing PlayStation and Xbox as "a less good place to be an indie at the moment." McMaster added: "But ultimately, it was just that the Switch is nice and the game is nice and we hope those two things combined can share that warmth or coziness."

In our Untitled Goose Game review, we said, "It's a comedy game that focuses on making the act of playing it funny, rather than simply being a game that features jokes. Wishing that it was longer speaks to how much fun I had with it. There's nothing else quite like Untitled Goose Game; it's charming and cute despite being mean, and both very silly and very clever. It's also probably the best non-racing game ever to feature a dedicated 'honk' button."

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