Steam vs Epic games

Epic, This Is INSANE… | Attacking Valve’s Project PROTON, KILLING Rust On Linux & Damaging Gaming:


Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/blgoh0/epic_attacking_valves_project_proton_and_damaging/

Indeed. Can't spin this one.

This Gearbox CEO tweet did not age well:

https://twitter.com/DuvalMagic/status/1124772468114087936
@SkillUpYT
Apparently the voice actor for Claptrap never got paid for his work (it maybe fell under his responsibilities as a Senior Gearbox employee?). Pretty wild given how central Claptrap was to the game's success.
And he isn't returning for #BL3. Sad times.

https://twitter.com/davideddings/status/1123970727395373057
@davideddings
No. For the first time, I insisted on getting paid for my performance and all of a sudden they couldn't afford me. Now I'm not telling them how to run their business but maybe next time they should put the $12M payment from 2K in the Gearbox bank account instead. Just sayin'...

Randy Pitchford
@DuvalMagic
There was no “force” - He wanted it (and reveled in it). The issue today is that Mr. Eddings is bitter and disgruntled about having been terminated. He was offered 2x scale, he refused.
I don’t want him to do it unless he wants to do it, as motivation affects performance.

Update from David Eddings 8/5/19:

Glad to hear @GearboxOfficial is taking the claim "very seriously" as I'm eager to cooperate with whatever independent firm Gearbox/2K chooses for the ongoing investigation into Randy's misdeeds (which should be fairly easy to conclude).
For the record, Gearbox HR was informed of the assault the morning of Monday March 6, 2017. Randy fired me the next day.
https://twitter.com/davideddings/status/1126198610637537280

Embezzlement fun coming for Gearbox CEO:

Just to elaborate how serious the Wade Callender lawsuit is;
Below is a good podcast from retired New York City Police Officer (@MrboomstickXL, 21 years in service).
https://twitter.com/mrboomstickxl

From 1:32:00 - @MrboomstickXL joining us, to discuss the possible legal ramifications for Gearbox CEO, Randy Pitchford.

TL;DR. This is Embezzlement (white-collar crime).
If they can prove any wrongdoings with the $12M, the Gearbox CEO will go to jail.

David Eddings has shared new Gearbox details in an interview with Newsweek
The plot thickens: Randy Pitchford 'secretly' try to sell Gearbox and was in communications with the buyer, Greg Richardson?.

‘BORDERLANDS’ VOICE ACTOR SAYS GEARBOX CEO IS A BULLY WHO HARASSED, SHOVED AND HUMILIATED HIM:
https://www.newsweek.com/borderlands-3-claptrap-voice-actor-david-eddings-randy-pitchford-1422396

"I liken it to getting pushed off the Titanic 20 feet from shore,” Eddings said. “You're sopping wet, disgruntled and angry, but two days later you're thankful. You're not on the sinking ship. But you're sad, because there are a bunch of people still on the ship."

In an interview with Newsweek, Claptrap voice actor David Eddings claims Randy Pitchford bullied and “rage fired” him:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/bn3ihq/in_an_interview_with_newsweek_claptrap_voice/

Gearbox PR passive-aggressive response to Eddings allegations;

"Gearbox takes any and all claims of this nature very seriously and we will abstain from commenting on the allegations Dave is making because it is a personnel matter.
We think it’s a shame that the 400+ employees here who have poured the love and passion into Borderlands 3 are having their work be diluted by personal allegations."

Disingenuous response? 'Yes Men' defending Randy for personal benefit?.

David Eddings, help translate Gearbox’s PR nightmare using their own words:

@davideddings
I think it’s a shame that the 400+ Gearbox employees who have poured their love and passion into Borderlands 3 are having their work be diluted by Randy Pitchford's history of unprofessional behavior.
https://twitter.com/davideddings/status/1126947104205824000

Gearbox PR Yes men:


Additional news articles:
PC Gamer: https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/former-claptrap-voice-actor-details-randy-pitchford-assault-allegations/…
Variety: https://variety.com/2019/gaming/news/gearbox-ceo-accused-of-physical-assault-1203207559/ …
VG24/7: https://www.vg247.com/2019/05/07/original-claptrap-voice-actor-accuses-gearbox-ceo-randy-pitchford-of-assault/ …
Ars Technica: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/05/claptrap-voice-actor-accuses-gearbox-ceo-of-assault-underpayment/ …
Game Rant: https://gamerant.com/gearbox-ceo-randy-pitchford-physical-assault/ …

David is clearly defending Wade Callender’s lawsuit against the Gearbox CEO.
Allegedly a high-level embezzlement/ponzi scheme with million of dollars. Also, Gearbox CEO breaches of fiduciary duty to private investors.

I’ll highlight important details/analysis below. The ‘physical assault’ and harassment is a sideshow.
With David Eddings new info, it appears that Randy was trying to secretly sell Gearbox and was in communications with the buyer, Greg Richardson.

https://www.nintendoenthusiast.com/2019/05/10/claptrap-actor-claims-pitchford-assaulted-fired-him-after-getting-caught-in-lie/
Eddings claims he was approached by two different people with an alarming rumor at GDC 2017. Both sources claimed that investor Greg Richardson was interested in buying Gearbox. As Vice President of Business for the company, Eddings was shocked that he was hearing this for the first time. These sources asked to remain anonymous, and Eddings agreed.
Shortly after this, he approached Pitchford to ask about the rumor. We know from the Wade Callender lawsuit that Pitchford would eventually team up with Richardson on a funding deal. That deal was finalized in July, while GDC took place in March. Eddings claims Pitchford denied any knowledge of Richardson and quickly became angry. Pitchford demanded to know the name of the sources, and when Eddings didn’t answer, Pitchford got physical.

The CEO gets angry
He shoved the f**k out of me while I’m on the balls of my feet trying to whisper. [He] knocked me back four steps… I believe I caught him in a deception.
Gearbox co-founder Landon Montgomery has corroborated this claim. He confirms that he saw David Eddings whisper something to Pitchford and that Pitchford responded with a hard shove. The fight continued via text message, and Eddings stood his ground. As a result, Pitchford fired him the next day.
*SNIP*

Gearbox co-founder and former COO, Landon Montgomery (1999-2010):
https://www.linkedin.com/in/landon-m-326484115/

From the Wade Callender lawsuit:

https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/documents/292/GearboxSuit.pdf
By June of 2018, Pitchford’s tyranny was unrelenting. Despite Pitchford’s failure to deliver on his various promises to Callender, Pitchford was pressuring Callender to lend even help to Pitchford. Specifically, Pitchford hassled Callender to help Pitchford capture 100% control of Gearbox by squeezing-out Pitchford’s sole remaining partner, Stephen Bahl. According to Randy Pitchford, it was imperative that Callender convince Bahl to accept low buy-out price so that Pitchford could afterward sell his equity to investors at much higher price. Among the additional enticements that Pitchford offered to Callender if he joined along: an opportunity to become Randy’s personal counsel in exchange for 5% of every future dollar Pitchford made. Callender declined Pitchford’s solicitation.

But, because of their long history and Pitchford's reassurances, much of Callendar's work was apparently done without a contract. For instance, he and investment broker Greg Richardson arranged a financing deal for Gearbox that included a $15 million loan and a $10 million line of credit that would become available after the original loan was repaid: "Neither Richardson nor Callendar operated under a signed contract prior to the performance or the conclusion of their funding efforts," the suit states. "The repeated assurances of Randy Pitchford were universally relied upon in good faith."
https://www.pcgamer.com/randy-pitchford-and-ex-gearbox-lawyer-engaged-in-ugly-legal-fight-over-alleged-dollar12-million-secret-bonus-unpaid-loans-camgirl-porn/

Greg Richardson, former Bioware CEO 2005-2007 and involved in the sale to EA.
Current board member within several gaming companies.
Since 2015, Private Equity Investor and Senior Advisor:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardsongreg/

Working with world class management teams, strategic and institutional investors collaborating on new strategic initiatives, product management, go to market strategies, investment opportunities, financing and M&A. Partners include Niantic Labs, DraftKings, SuperCell, Gearbox Software, The Philadelphia 76ers, Publishers Clearing House, IMSC, Advent Capital, Summit Partners, NextEquity and Anorak Venture Partners

Served as the Vice President and General Manager of EA Partners. EA Partners managed key external relationships for EA and served as a catalyst for IP and asset acquisitions for the company. Helped create EAPs charter and was responsible for acquisitions and long term partnerships including those with DICE, Crytek and Valve.

Disclosure/Exposé is coming (skeletons in the closet? *cough*) as these two lawsuits will DEMAND independent accounting of ALL Gearbox assets.
Not to mention the subpoena’s if this goes to trial.
Randy, my man. Step away from the Keyboard!.


From the lawsuit, Wade Callender promise 'unthinkable acts' will be disclosed in the coming discovery and trial.

Convinced of the futility in trying to correct Pitchford—and in compliance With the terms of the Cabinet Pact that all parties signed—Callender retained counsel in July of 2018 to “reach an agreement with the President” about Callender’s “exit strategy” from Gearbox. In preparation thereof, Callender met With Gearbox’s outside counsel at Scheef Stone to inform them of the problems at issue. During these meetings, Callender’s expressed his specific intent to negotiate his exit strategy per the Cabinet Pact, with which everyone was familiar.

On the evening of July 27, 2018, Callender personally informed fellow Cabinet members about his intent to commence his exit—strategy negotiations with Randy, per the Cabinet Agreement. In response, several Cabinet members expressed disappointment about the notion of Callender’s departure, frustration about Randy’s penchant for manipulation, and heartfelt concern over their own security in light of Randy’s Willingness to exploit his oldest friend.
To paraphrase one Cabinet Member, “If Randy will treat his best friend this way, what chance do the rest of us have?”

On the evening of July 27, 2018, Randy Pitchford learned of Callender’s intent. In response, Randy Pitchford preemptively announced blatant falsehood: that Callender had “resigned” from Gearbox. In his declaration, Randy-the-consummate-performer proclaimed that it was “With regret” that he was accepting Callender’s resignation. Randy’s performance was complete sham.

When Callender protested that he wasn’t resigning as Randy was claiming— noting that Randy alone was invoking the word “resign”—Randy refused to listen. Instead, Randy immediately severed Callender from the Gearbox systems and the new headquarters (the construction of which was spearheaded by Callender).
During this time, Randy instructed Gearbox’s IT department to “intercept” all communications from Callender so that Callender could not correct Pitchford’s false narrative about Callender’s employment.

Hell-bent on retaliation—and hoping to pressure Callender into silence about the
reasons Why Callender was invoking his Cabinet Pact/exit-strategy terms—Pitchford engaged in
unthinkable acts that Will become clear throughout discovery and trial.

Will this Epic CEO tweet age well?

@TimSweeneyEpic
Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) wrote a great tweetstorm on the Epic Games store and Borderlands, which Redditor u/Slawrfp assembled below. Sort comments by "controversial" to see both points of view.
https://twitter.com/timsweeneyepic/status/1117145708799451136

@TimSweeneyEpic & Randy the saviour of the industry?
Fortnite devs are reportedly working “100 hour” weeks
https://www.pcgamesn.com/fortnite/fortnite-crunch

What goes around comes around?

Steam Robbed in Crowdfunding Bait and Switch - Inside Gaming Daily


Outer Wilds will be a timed Epic Games Store exclusive:
https://www.pcgamer.com/outer-wilds-will-be-a-timed-epic-games-store-exclusive/

OUTER WILDS Crowdfunding:
https://www.fig.co/campaigns/outer-wilds/updates/912

Crowdfunded game Outer Wilds becomes Epic exclusive despite having promised Steam keys:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/bnpw0r/crowdfunded_game_outer_wilds_becomes_epic/

we’ve welcomed helpful partnerships with Annapurna Interactive, XBox, and Epic to support us

grady_vuckovic:
A crowdfunded game only made possible by gamers sticking their necks out to support them, with the explicit promise of releasing the game on Steam (and by the sounds of it Linux version as well), and they thank Epic for supporting them while giving their actual supporters the middle finger. Can you get anymore tone deaf than that?

Hope they enjoyed their crowdfunding success, it will be the last time they enjoy it, no one will ever support them crowdfunding a game ever again after displaying how eager they are to break a promise.

Mahandev:
Same thing happened with Phoenix Point, they used the Kickstarters as an interest free loan in order to create a demo, then sell the demo and their playerbase into Epic's ecosystem for a cash infusion. Not only did it make me lose all faith in the Dev's interest in their fans' best interest, but it made me swear off kickstarting any game again. Up until now it's been magic - Darkest Dungeon, Wasteland 2, Pillars of Eternity, there have been some real gems created in the crowdfunding soup before Epic took a shit in the water and ruined the taste.

The Outer Wilds Developer deleted my Epic Games Store prediction Thread a month ago:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/bnqnme/the_outer_wilds_developer_deleted_my_epic_games/

There are always some signs if a game comes out exclusively on the Epic Games Store. It usually begins with the developers not doing any community updates anymore and changing the Release Date to TBD. The same thing happened with The Outer Wilds a few weeks ago and since the Epic Games Store was launched in December there was also an Outer Wilds Store Page up.

So I made a thread in the Steam Community Hub in March with the title: “The Outer Worlds will probably be an Epic Games Store exclusive”. After only a few comments from people who didn’t really believe it they deleted the thread without any comments.

There is a chance that more Threads were deleted and everything looks like this was a decision made a while ago.

Here is some proof since you can’t visit a deleted thread:
https://abload.de/img/92f0225e-46b6-4a3e-9iqjs0.jpeg
https://abload.de/img/9c7df79e-f0bf-4bdf-b38k91.jpeg
https://abload.de/img/9c6a8314-756b-4df7-8ytj5r.jpeg

Edit: The same signs were also shown right before Control and The Outer Worlds were announced as Epic Exclusive. Currently Rune is a pretty good Epic Exclusive contender since they don't do community updates on Steam anymore and they announced to skip Early Acces because they got a lot of money (Steam still shows it as Early Access Game).

EDIT: Updated with new info

Why Steam Can’t Meet Epic’s Price Challenge:

TL;DR:

The problem is that Sweeney is pretending like his company is offering the same service that Steam is. It’s like if McDonald’s challenged a fancy restaurant to lower the price of steak to the price of a Happy Meal and then acted like they were fighting for the little guy.

https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/2019/05/07/why-steam-cant-meet-epics-price-challenge/
*SNIP*
In Defense of the Steam Cut

The assumption seems to be that Valve is sitting back and soaking up all this money without providing any value to the consumer. Sweeney even calls them “the Game Developer IRS.” This is a popular viewpoint, but it’s not really accurate.

Back in March, Valve employees gave a talk at GDC where they revealed some details about the Steam infrastructure. Apparently Valve Software has a presence in 30 major cities around the world, and they have their own direct connections between these locations that are independent of the public internet. It’s like a backup internet running on top of the public net. This network handles content delivery and gameplay data. The advantage of this setup is that it insulates Steam users from internet congestion. The example the developers gave at the talk is the release of an episode of Game of Thrones, when millions of people all begin streaming HD video at the same time. Gamers might still experience delays due to local congestion thanks to lousy internet providers, but Valve’s backup internet gives everyone the best chance to enjoy speedy downloads and lag-free multiplayer games.

Last year, the Valve network handled two exabytes of data. That exceeds the entire global internet traffic load of 2003. If some node of this network were to fail, or if someone were to attack it, the system is designed to seamlessly reroute Steam’s traffic over to the regular internet until the problem is resolved. Valve has built a network with a global presence, multiple layers of redundancy, and staggering throughput. This network is available and free to use for any game that releases on Steam, regardless of where that game was sold. This means that if you release a game on Steam and also on GoG, copies sold on GoG still can enjoy the multiplayer benefits of Valve’s content delivery system. This is pretty generous considering how easy it is to get a game on Steam these days. It means almost any starry-eyed developer has free access to this massive system for their game.

It takes an enormous investment of cash to design, build, and maintain a global system like this. You can criticize Valve for a lot of things, but it’s pretty hard to sell the notion that the company doesn’t care about games and just wants to rake in a big pile of money.

Valve has also adapted their store to work within a myriad of different countries. In Japan, gamers don’t buy things online using credit cards. Instead, they go to a convenience store to buy store credit. Essentially, this system allows consumers to buy things online using cash. It might seem odd to Westerners, but this is how Japanese urbanites want to buy things. If you want to do business with them, then you need to do it on their terms.

Lots of countries have their own particular preferences for how people expect to buy things, how local businesses behave, and how local governments regulate and tax transactions. Again, it takes a big upfront investment to create a system that allows you to do business globally.

Why Valve Can’t Match the 12% Cut
When you buy a gift card in a retail outlet, the retailer usually keeps between 10% and 15% of the face value. So if you buy a $10 Steam card at Walmart, then Walmart might keep $1.50. Valve would get the remaining $8.50, and they’d give you $10 of Store credit. Since Steam keeps 30% of the purchase price of a game, Valve can afford to eat this $1.50 loss. However, if Valve took Sweeney up on his challenge and lowered the Steam cut to 12%, it would make selling gift cards a losing proposition. Sweeney is acting like he’s fighting for a better cut for developers, but he’s also demanding that Valve agree to lose money on every game sale in Japan forever.

Sweeney’s store is a barebones skeleton, so it’s easy for his company to take such a small bite of sales. That’s fine, inasmuch as it gives developers a choice. If they just want a place to sell games, they can go with the Epic Games Store. If they want a full-featured store then they can go with Steam.

The problem is that Sweeney is pretending like his company is offering the same service that Steam is. It’s like if McDonald’s challenged a fancy restaurant to lower the price of steak to the price of a Happy Meal and then acted like they were fighting for the little guy.

I agree with Sweeney’s principle that Valve takes a huge cut and the market could use some more competition. Not every game needs the vast resources of Valve’s sprawling global infrastructure. If I make a simple single-player 2D game and I don’t have the means to localize the game for non-English audiences, then I don’t need the high-speed content delivery network or multiplayer framework, and I don’t benefit from the ability to access foreign markets. I’m probably running a small operation with just two or three people. When Valve keeps 30% of my game’s sales price, they’re taking money that’s important to me but peanuts to them. They’re taking money I need in exchange for a lot of services I don’t. It would be great if Steam offered some sort of bargain for those of us who don’t need or want the full slate of Steam features.

The irony is that Steam is the only major platform that will welcome those broke indie developers. Obscure indie games that don’t need Steam’s extra features and can’t really afford the 30% cut would be better off on a minimalist platform like the Epic Games Store, but EGS is a curated platform that’s only interested in titles with mainstream appeal. Epic is avoiding helping the small fry operations that need the EGS the most, and instead signing deals with major titles that really ought to be using the Steam network infrastructure.

I’d be more inclined to side with Epic if the platform was more robust. The company is working on it, and the feature roadmap makes it seem like Epic is aware of the EGS’s many shortcomings. But Sweeney daring Valve to match Epic in price when EGS isn’t even close to matching Steam in features isn’t reasonable or fair. Sweeney needs to spend less time issuing challenges to Valve and a little more time overcoming the challenges his company has in front of it.

As expected, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is a year-long Epic Store exclusive
https://www.pcgamer.com/as-expected-ancestors-the-humankind-odyssey-is-a-year-long-epic-store-exclusive/

*SNIP*
Take-Two Interactive announced today that Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, the promising prehistoric survival game being developed by Patrice Désilets' Panache Digital Games studio, will be available exclusively through the Epic Games Store for a year. Ancestors is being published by Take-Two's Private Division label, as is The Outer Worlds, also a timed Epic exclusive (not counting the Microsoft Store).

Interestingly, while Take-Two has favored the Epic Store with recent releases—Borderlands 3 will also be exclusive—the studio said in an earnings call today that these timed exclusives will be "rare."

"In terms of supporting the Epic Games Store, we think more distribution is a good thing," Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick said during today's earnings call. "And while it's rare that we'll do exclusives for any period of time—we continue to support Steam with our titles, our catalog—and these titles will be going to Steam relatively quickly after their initial availability on the Epic Games Store."

Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/boa8c3/as_expected_ancestors_the_humankind_odyssey_is_a/

UPDATE Gearbox/Wade Callender lawsuits:
Attorneys (both sides) can't agree on anything, these two lawsuits will likely go to trial.
Go get your popcorn!

NEWS ARTICLE (4 days old) from John G. Browning, is an attorney, award-winning journalist, and book author.:

The Raging Court Dispute Between a Frisco Gaming Company and a Former Exec
The CEO of Gearbox and its former general counsel were childhood friends. Now they're pointing fingers over secret bonuses, credit card misuse, and even underage porn.

https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-ceo/2019/may/the-raging-court-dispute-between-a-frisco-gaming-company-and-a-former-exec/
What began as a heartwarming tale—a videogame-obsessed kid grows up to develop games himself, co-founds a successful video game company, and hires his childhood friend as the company’s general counsel—has turned into a bitter, acrimonious shootout waged not in the theater of a gaming console, but in a Dallas courtroom. And although it’s not unheard of for companies and their top in-house counsels to part ways, the dispute between former Gearbox Software top lawyer Wade Callender and his former employers, including CEO and childhood friend Randy Pitchford, has devolved into an ugly clash colored by allegations of a “secret bonus,” corporate credit card misuse, and even “underage porn.” Robert Bogdanowicz, a partner at Dallas’ Calhoun, Bhella & Sechrest, says this type of rancor is uncommon. “Even when a CEO and their general counsel have differences or part ways under less than cordial circumstances, it rarely erupts in one or both airing any dirty laundry,” he says.

Like some of the games Gearbox is known for, the story of the Callender/Pitchford relationship has a quaint beginning. They were childhood friends in Maryland during the early 1980s who shared a love of videogames. Callender stayed on the East Coast, earning his law degree at Catholic University before clerking for a federal appellate judge in Washington, D.C., and serving as a Navy JAG officer. Pitchford headed west, attending UCLA before getting into video game development and eventually co-founding Gearbox in 1999. The Frisco-based company has been wildly successful, quickly moving from making videogames for the likes of Valve Software to creating its own brands, like the popular Borderlands franchise and the Brothers in Arms series.

The childhood friends were reunited in 2010, with Callender’s hiring as executive counsel for Gearbox. A year later, he would be promoted to general counsel and vice president of legal affairs. But between that time and Callender’s alleged July 27, 2018 resignation, the parties have wildly divergent descriptions of the former GC’s tenure. According to Callender, he served “with distinction,” stewarding the company through the departure of co-founder Brian Martel and the consolidation of Gearbox’s ownership between Pitchford and remaining partner Stephen Bahl, a class action lawsuit, and other legal challenges. Callender’s lawsuit asserts that he was rewarded with a 3 percent equity stake in the company, a one-third ownership in a new entity (The Hatch LLC), and other benefits. Yet during his entire tenure at Gearbox, Callender maintains, Pitchford would “constantly harass” him for his Christian beliefs.

“It’s going to be a long process, but we believe the truth with prevail.”

BARRY MOSCOWITZ
In his lawsuit, Callender also claims that in November 2016, Pitchford told him that he had reached a private “side deal” with Take 2 Interactive, the publisher of Gearbox’s Borderlands franchise, for a $12 million “executive bonus” paid directly to a Pitchford entity, “Pitchford Entertainment Media Magic LLC.” Callender says he raised concerns about the bonus with Pitchford, but was rebuffed about that and about documenting the alleged verbal reassurances about increasing Callender’s compensation and equity. Ultimately, disillusioned with what he describes as “unrelenting tyranny,” Callender says he attempted to commence negotiating an “exit strategy” with Pitchford, only to have Pitchford preemptively announce that Callender had resigned.

Like a videogame teases new expansion, Callender’s lawsuit promises revelations of “unthinkable acts” on Pitchford’s part “that will become clear throughout discovery and trial.” But the suit hints at a few, like the allegation that in 2014, Pitchford misplaced a USB drive containing sensitive Gearbox company information and the CEO’s “personal collection of ‘underage’ pornography.” The suit goes on to allege that Pitchford holds events at the private theater in his home where “adult men have exposed themselves to minors, to the amusement of Randy Pitchford.”

‘Worst Kind of Betrayal’
Callender’s shocking claims have been met with vehement denials and fierce opposition. Barry Moscowitz, the partner at Dallas-based Thomson Coe Cousins & Irons who is leading Gearbox’s and Pitchford’s defense, calls Callender’s allegations “absurd,” “really disgusting,” and “the worst kind of betrayal.” Moscowitz says it’s a betrayal that’s both personal and professional: “It’s first of all a factual betrayal, because what Callender is saying is false. But it’s also the personal betrayal of a longtime friend, as well as the betrayal of a client whose lawyer has violated attorney-client privilege,” he says.

In November 2018, Gearbox filed a lawsuit against its former GC in Collin County; that lawsuit has now been transferred to Dallas County, joining the lawsuit that Callender filed last December. Gearbox is suing Callender for, among other things, breach of contract, conversion, unjust enrichment, fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty. According to the lawsuit, Gearbox made a $300,000 cash loan to Callender in April 2014 so he could purchase a $900,000 home in Frisco. Payments on the loan were deducted from Callender’s “grossed up” monthly earnings. But in March 2018, Callender demanded that the payments cease, leaving a balance owed of more $136,000. Gearbox accuses Callender of not only reneging on the loan but destroying the signed loan agreement.

Pitchford and Gearbox also claim that Callender persuaded them that he could add value with an executive MBA from Pepperdine, eschewing local MBA programs. They say that Gearbox paid the entire cost associated with the MBA, including tuition and “hotel and first class airfare to Southern California multiple times per month”—to the tune of over $125,000. On top of that, Gearbox maintains that in 2017 and 2018, when Callender “found himself involved in contentious litigation regarding personal matters in Maryland,” it paid for the GC’s legal fees and expenses totaling more than $50,000. Gearbox also alleges that Callender abused the corporate American Express account by “charging unapproved, wholly personal expenses” that included family vacations to Disneyland, memberships to gun clubs like the Frisco Gun Club, and “trying to get six-pack abs” through charges to “sixpackshortcuts.com.” The most expensive such abuse, says Gearbox, came on Callender’s last day of employment when he obtained an increase on the American Express line of credit for the purpose of making a $17,000 payment to his Maryland attorneys, incurred the charge, and then “emptied his office and resigned as general counsel” without repaying the expense as promised.

In response to the allegations of Pitchford’s alleged USB drive of “underage porn,” Pitchford himself addressed that in a December 2018 appearance on “The Piff Pod,” a podcast about magic (Pitchford is a former professional magician and longtime magic aficionado). On the podcast, Pitchford explains that, far from a “collection,” the drive contained a “camgirl” video, whose host used the handle “Only 18” and who was demonstrating an adult-oriented magic trick that fascinated the CEO. As for the supposedly lewd behavior at parties thrown by Pitchford, it apparently eluded the Dallas Morning News entertainment critic who wrote a glowing review in June 2016 of the world-class magicians and entertainers that Pitchford and his wife spotlighted at the “Peacock Theater” in their home.

Callender was the first to pursue legal action after his employment ended, filing an Oct. 27, 2018 charge of religious discrimination with the Texas Workforce Commission’s Civil Rights Division and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. And although Gearbox may have drawn first blood in the courts with their lawsuit and temporary restraining order that has since been dissolved, the very first line of Callender’s petition makes it clear that he’s not pulling any punches, calling Randy Pitchford “a manipulative and morally bankrupt CEO who shamefully exploited his oldest friend.”

Barry Moscowitz replies that it’s Callender who is the “manipulative liar,” making “false and salacious allegations while hiding behind a term of art like ‘upon information and belief.’” Callender’s attorney, James Bell, says that it “makes no sense” that Gearbox “suddenly sues its most valued executive for supposedly resigning while Gearbox was pouring money and resources into him.” About the only thing the warring sides seem to agree on is that this case is likely to go all the way to trial.

EPIC games store go against their own word (again)?


3:57 - Epic Games Store stealth launches in China

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-05-15-epic-games-store-stealth-launches-in-china
The Epic Games Store has stealthily launched in the world's biggest games market.

Chinese news site Techweb, translated by Google and spotted by PCGamesN, reports that "the Epic Games Store quietly unlocked" in China earlier this week.

With zero fanfare, the Epic Games store has released in China:
https://www.pcgamesn.com/epic-games-store-china

EPIC said this only 2 months ago;

https://venturebeat.com/2019/03/25/epic-games-store-qa-tackles-china-metro-exodus-backlash-and-mature-games/
China and the perceived threat of Tencent
One person asked the panel why the Epic Games Store isn’t available in China yet. While the gaming industry there is worth $30 billion, the Chinese government is incredibly strict about what kind of games — especially games from foreign developers — can be legally sold in the country. Allison alluded to those challenges in his answer, adding that Epic’s office in China makes it a more precarious situation for them.
“That’s a complicated question. … The way our competitor operates offshore is not legal in China, and they don’t have an office in China. We have employees there, so we are very sensitive to what is legal and what is is not — more for the benefit and safety of our staff. We just don’t want to take any risks that can put them in any legal fire,” said Allison.

Epic E3 Conflict of Interest As EGS Sponsors PC Gaming Event To Announce Exclusives:


E3 PC Gaming Show 2019 Lineup Revealed, Epic Will be Announcing More Exclusives:
https://wccftech.com/e3-pc-gaming-show-2019-epic-games/

PCgamer doing preemptive damage control before Epic announcing more Exclusives:
https://www.pcgamer.com/pc-gaming-show-livestream-2019/

To be clear, this doesn't mean that all of the games presented at the PC Gaming Show are partnered with Epic. Expect more than 20 different developers to show new trailers or make announcements.

Epic Games earns a BAFTA Special Award for its 'huge contribution' to the industry:
https://www.pcgamer.com/epic-games-earns-a-bafta-special-award-for-its-huge-contribution-to-the-industry/

Reddit: Why is PC Gamer's glaring conflict of interest with Epic not widely condemned?
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/bp8pwh/why_is_pc_gamers_glaring_conflict_of_interest/

Epic games store caught in Chaos as games pulled (temporary)
It appears that EGS put games on mega-sale, without asking for permission.
This mega-sale is mostly Epic-funded but some feel it may devalue their games.

Epic Mega Sale Caught in Chaos as Games Pulled, Prices Change:
https://techraptor.net/content/epic-mega-sale-caught-in-chaos-as-games-pulled-prices-change

Publishers Pull Their Games From Epic's Store During Its Big Sale:
https://kotaku.com/publishers-pull-their-games-from-epics-store-during-its-1834828248

Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/bpl8pn/epic_mega_sale_caught_in_chaos_as_games_pulled/
Twitch streamer Flagged for buying too many games:

https://twitter.com/AngriestPat/status/1129141438313312256
@AngriestPat
So I can confirm that me buying a whopping 5 games (ranging from 5 bucks to 50) on the Epic Store flagged my account for possibly fraudalent. Maybe if you guys had a fucking shopping cart jesus christ.

Well this is different: Epic have kicked off a store sale where THEY fund a large part of the discount. This is fairly unprecidented, and seems to be another angle to drive user growth.

The Epic sale that keeps on giving.
Epic CEO burns millions of dollars on mega-sale and trying to create goodwill with customers.
Hold my beer?


Epic Chaos | 2K pulled Borderlands pre-orders from EGS
https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/product/borderlands-3/home
Ironically, big win for steam as this Epic mega-sale is a dumpster fire. The sale ends June 13, 2019.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Gearbox CEO caught shilling for EGS and told fans to get BL3 on sale before it going down (Randy's now-deleted tweet).
Quote Gearbox CEO;
“Bitch and moan all you want, but EGS is best for Borderlands 3”
"Epic sure wants to earn your trust"

Borderlands 3 Pre-Order Pulled Out From Epic Games Store
https://www.spieltimes.com/news/borderlands-3-pre-order-pulled-out-from-epic-games-store/



Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/bq0c6b/borderlands_3_preorder_pulled_out_from_epic_games/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Borderlands/comments/bpd81n/borderlands_3_preorder_currently_has_a_10/

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-05-18-borderlands-3-pre-order-pulled-from-epic-games-store-amid-mega-sale-kerfuffle
UPDATE: Publisher 2K has said Borderlands 3 will return to the Epic Games store soon, and games sold at the sale price will be honoured.

However, it failed to explain why it pulled Borderlands 3 from the Epic Games store.

Here's the statement sent to Eurogamer by a 2K rep this evening:

"We are working closely with Epic and have temporarily removed Borderlands 3 from their storefront. We look forward to the game being back on the Epic Games store soon. Games bought during their Mega Sale will be honored at that price."

Some good Epic analysis why developers/publishers are pissed off about this mega-sale.

Epic Store sale, and why it's pissing off gamers and developers/publishers alike
https://twitter.com/CaseyExplosion/status/1129713218321027073
@caseyexplosion
Hey folks, today let's talk about the Epic Store sale, and why it's pissing off gamers and developers/publishers alike. Because it's easy to snark and say "lol, the Gamers™ are angry about a sale!" but this is a good deal more serious.

To understand why, let's talk about sales!

Now, what normally happens during a sale event (like a Steam sale) is that the publishers or developers opt in, and they set the discounts. What Epic is doing however, is something very different.

Take special note of this: "...at no cost to the publisher or developer."

That additional $10 discount? That is money that Epic is paying out to the developers. They are effectively buying those discounts, so even though a game is significantly reduced for the customer, the developers still earn the same revenue they would have at full price.
So, why are developers pissed off about this, and are yanking their games from the Epic store, or altering the prices? Even though they still get paid for it out of Epic's pocket? Because they had no say in this, and it immediately devalues their games, especially indie titles.
Epic are paying developers that $10 even if their games are only just up for pre-order, which means that for indie developers pricing their games around $15, it's now worth $5 in the eyes of customers before it's even out. It's been devalued for good, and they had no say in it.
With indie games, pricing and discounts are very serious subjects, because the perceived value is on shaky ground. Ever see snarky responses to indie devs at launch? It's sometimes downright cruel!

"Why would I pay 20 bucks for this, when it'll be in a bundle in 6 months time?"
So right now, you can buy a game that isn't even out yet for a third of the full asking price, because Epic is paying that $10 discount. So before this game is even out, it's perceived value is $5.19.

That's why games are being pulled from the store, or controversially bumping their prices, see for example indie titles Hades and Oxygen Not Included suddenly bumping their prices. They didn't have a say in their games going so cheap, even if they still got paid for the discount.
And the reason that The Gamers™ are furious over this, and saying silly things like "Epic are BRIBING gamers!" is that it's another example of Epic throwing their money around. As reactionary, and over the top as they can be, it's not entire wrong...

They're buying customers.
There's an anxiety about Epic because what they're doing is aggressive. They don't want to be competition, they want to be the last man standing and be the defacto monopoly. That's the end goal, drive Valve out of business and reap the benefits.

And they have the money to that.
To a lot of gamers, competition would be someone coming along and building a better platform than Steam. They never imagined someone could just come along with more money than god and buy a load of exclusives to force them to use a garbage platform nobody wants or even likes.
*SNIP*

They're buying customers.
There's an anxiety about Epic because what they're doing is aggressive. They don't want to be competition, they want to be the last man standing and be the defacto monopoly. That's the end goal, drive Valve out of business and reap the benefits.

And they have the money to that.
To a lot of gamers, competition would be someone coming along and building a better platform than Steam. They never imagined someone could just come along with more money than god and buy a load of exclusives to force them to use a garbage platform nobody wants or even likes.
*SNIP*

So very charming.

Epic GDPR Fail: Epic Games sends user data to the wrong person

https://eugdpr.org/

After four years of preparation and debate the GDPR was finally approved by the EU Parliament on 14 April 2016. It was enforced on 25 May 2018 – and organisations that are not compliant could now face heavy fines.

https://www.reddit.com/user/TurboToast3000/comments/brgrsz/extra_proof/

They literately sent my personal info to a random person. The info I requested with gdpr:
https://www.reddit.com/r/fuckepic/comments/brfexm/they_literately_sent_my_personal_info_to_a_random/
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/brgq8p/reddit_user_requested_all_the_personal_info_epic/

TurboToast3000
They sent all my personal info including my email address, my name, my purchase history and my purchase info and I just get sorry.
And after that they have the guts to ask if I was happy with there service.
I was going to say they aren't so bad as everyone is making them out to be because they only have data that I myself put in.
But this goes to far.
I am done with very not epic games.
Edit: I forgot that it also included my ip address

TurboToast3000
https://www.reddit.com/r/fuckepic/comments/brfexm/they_literately_sent_my_personal_info_to_a_random/
I got an email from epic yesterday. After that I went to reddit to let everyone know and after a few hours came a DM from someone who said they recived the email. WITH PROOF he showed that epic games sent him the email and he reported it because of that I was notified. So epic did oopsie kind sir reported it and at last I knew about it.

DoesltMatter
They sent my info to some guy similar to this and I lost my account. I tried to contact them to get it back and they said they couldn’t help. They’re the sole reason it was taken and said they wouldn’t do jack shit. I had put a decent amount of money into my account when I was into fortnite. I’m not so upset because I wasn’t planning on playing it again or using epic again but still just to have my account given to someone else when I had sunk at like $100 into was pretty scummy. Fuckepic

https://www.reddit.com/r/fuckepic/comments/brfexm/they_literately_sent_my_personal_info_to_a_random/eoidjcq/?context=3
6535754733745
Hey there, I'm the person who received your personal data. I sent them a GDPR data request for my account and got yours. I told them they'll have to report this to the supervisory authority.
I tried creating a post here a few hours ago, but couldn't due to this account being too new.
Not sure how I could prove this to anybody but the OP.

TurboToast3000
This guy is legit

TurboToast3000 confirmed he is from The Netherlands and this will be reported.

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/brfnm8/they_literately_sent_my_personal_info_to_a_random/eofcqhw/?context=3
TurboToast3000
This is not something we sue over in my country. However I can and will report them to the correct authorities

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/brfnm8/they_literately_sent_my_personal_info_to_a_random/eog6qpm/?context=3
MdotR
They are claiming they did not send out your address or payment info. Do you have proof of what was sent to you and to the other person? I am sure this is could easily verified by someone else requesting their own data.

TurboToast3000
my email address was in the data
the address where I live is not in the data because I have never told epic that
payment info is in but nothing serious because I use IDEAL a payment service that does not reveal a lot of data to companies

Gearbox takes a step back in legal fight with former exec
May 23, 2019

https://www.polygon.com/2019/5/23/18636080/gearbox-callender-grievance-randy-pitchford
Gearbox Software’s legal fight with its former general counsel Wade Callender has taken a curious turn. The company recently filed a new petition against Callender, minus several claims from its previous petition. Additionally, Gearbox appears not to have followed through on a threat to file an official grievance against Callender.
*SNIP*
Update: Former Gearbox general counsel Wade Callender confirmed to Polygon that Gearbox has failed to file the grievance against him that the company promised back in January.

“Because a licensed attorney can inquire about his own good standing, I contacted the state bar directly,” Callender said in a statement to Polygon. “In response, the state bar confirmed it: No grievance was ever filed by those who were publicly threatening such nonsense back in January 2019.”

Gearbox takes a step back in legal fight with former exec
May 23, 2019

So much drama, so much smoke, and it's all posturing.
Talk it, walk it, I say. Keeping it to all posturing is...

... infantile?

Microsoft Won't Participate in Epic Store Exclusivity & Will Bring More Games to Steam:

Microsoft SNIPE Epic Store, Come Out FOR Consumer Freedom & STEAM:


Xbox games (and new AoE games) to launch on Steam as Xbox opens up to other PC stores:
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-05-30-gears-5-to-launch-on-steam-as-xbox-opens-up-to-other-pc-stores

Microsoft has committed to launching the PC versions of all Xbox Game Studios titles on multiple storefronts, including Steam.

In its second big announcement for PC gamers today, Microsoft said that forthcoming Xbox Games Studios titles Gears 5 and Age of Empires I, II & III: Definitive Editions will be released on Steam, and not just the Windows Store.

This will be part of a wider change at the company, which will result in all Xbox Game Studios titles launching on multiple PC stores on the same day

"We know millions of PC gamers trust Steam as a great source to buy PC games and we've heard the feedback that PC gamers would like choice," Xbox head Phil Spencer said in a blog post.

"We also know that there are other stores on PC, and we are working to enable more choice in which store you can find our Xbox Game Studios titles in the future."

Spencer referenced Steam in his blog post, but did not mention the Epic Games Store, which has made great strides in gaining a foothold in a market Valve has dominated for so long. However, Spencer stressed that, "we believe you should have choice in where you buy your PC games."

Xbox Game Studios is already an active publisher on Steam, and Microsoft has confirmed that Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be available there later this year.

Epic Games misses roadmap goals for the second month in a row:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/bvh9x8/epic_games_misses_roadmap_goals_for_the_second/

I'm quite surprised that after the roadmap delay last month, Epic did not decide to focus more on providing promised and pretty essential storefront features. The near-term goals (1-3 months) have been delayed once again. As an example, cloud saves, which were supposed to ship in May, are now targeted for a July release. I can't find a previous version of the roadmap, but the vast majority, if not all near term goals have been postponed. You can see the roadmap here. This, along with the whole Anthem situation just shows how much credibility RoAdMaPs that developers like to share with the community deserve.

A shopping cart is still 6 months out:


EPIC: We've updated the #EpicGamesStore roadmap on Trello
https://twitter.com/EpicGames/status/1134567204178092033

Older news:
Epic’s Tim Sweeney believes creators, not consumers, are the key to the next generation of stores
https://www.pcgamesinsider.biz/news/68703/epics-tim-sweeney-believes-creators-not-consumers-are-the-key-to-the-next-generation-of-stores/

“It’s nearly perfect for consumers already,” said Sweeney. “There is no hope of displacing a dominant storefront solely by adding marginally more store features or a marginally better install experience. These battles will be won on the basis of game supply, consumer prices, and developer revenue sharing,”

It’s an odd quote considering the Epic store’s lack of social features in its current state, and only included a search function in its client this week. But it does explain a heavy developer-first strategy that has seen the Epic Store snag some key exclusives.

“We’ve worked to ensure it’s genuinely worthwhile for developers to move to the Epic Games store," said Sweeney.

"We’re giving game developers and publishers the store business model that we’ve always wanted as developers ourselves.”

Epic Esport Controversy & Cheating
https://www.reddit.com/r/LivestreamFail/comments/bw5wbb/epic_games_is_allowing_a_duo_who_have_been/

Epic Games is allowing a duo who have been punished for cheating in this SAME tournament move on to New York with a guaranteed $50,000 and play in the biggest E-sports tournament in history.

solartech0
What did they do, specifically?

GameWizrd
They had friends feed them kills/points during qualifiers and were very blatant with it. The whole community knew about it yet Epic decided to only ban them for two weeks in a tournament that spanned several months and didn't give them any other form of punishment.