Where can I buy Subnautica for the PC - without having to go through Steam?
Jerych
Join Date: 2018-01-29 Member: 236200Members
Join Date: 2018-01-29 Member: 236200Members
Where can I purchase and play a legitimate copy of Subnautica without having to go through Steam?*
And if the PC version is not available without Steam, have there been any announcements, concrete plans, to release it as such in the future?
Would I still be able to download or update Subnautica with a non-Steam purchase? Would it incur additional costs? Would I essentially have to re-purchase the game to get the updates, similar to a subscription fee?
Any answers, contextual information and links are appreciated.
Thank you.
*My reasons for not patronizing Steam are personal, not technical btw.
And if the PC version is not available without Steam, have there been any announcements, concrete plans, to release it as such in the future?
Would I still be able to download or update Subnautica with a non-Steam purchase? Would it incur additional costs? Would I essentially have to re-purchase the game to get the updates, similar to a subscription fee?
Any answers, contextual information and links are appreciated.
Thank you.
*My reasons for not patronizing Steam are personal, not technical btw.
Comments
Why?
Why don't you want to buy it through steam? i'm genuinely curious.
There are talking about retail versions but nothing have been announced and the only thing we're doing is waiting but they do want it to be accessible in as many ways as possible so I think you have to wait but for how long? I don't know
Otherwise you're stuck with Steam for the time being unfortunately.
For the same reason I do not wish to provide direct patronage to Facebook, Twitter, Google, and any other such companies, and I will leave it at that. I am only interested in information in patronizing UWE via an interface/publisher/distributor other than Steam. I know Steam will still receive ancillary revenue streams with such a purchase - but I'll live with that rather than the direct alternative.
Even if I were interested in discussing it, this is an inappropriate venue to discuss it.
Reasonable speculation, although this ties into whatever partnership agreements UWE has with Steam, which would include everything from fees, development priorities, marketing, licensing, legal resources, etc, to future releases, all of which may be predicated on exclusive distribution windows on Steam which are not tied to development and feasibility. That's legitimate and practical business, of course.
So speculation aside, announcements - and better yet, proof of money and man-hours being spent in the direction of wider release - would be more reliable.
Not interested in Facebook.
I've inquired into the Oculus version of Subnautica in the UWE-Subnautica chat though, and I'm told it's not Riftless PC-2D compatible anyway.
Thank you. I appreciate all the responses.
My own research has come up with the same, except for the last.
I don't have any interest in PSN per se, but I think a PSN port is pretty far into the future - and it's not just because anything that smacks of a PSN release seems to be rumors. It's between UWE and MS on the one hand, and MS vs SONY on the other - no secret there. Exclusive content windows are a cross between competitive business practices (some call it "anti-competitive" but that's churlish in these instances) and the practical feasibility of development and building business relationships. That's not to say that MS and SONY don't work together in other avenues and industries, along with their satellites, subsidiaries and partners. But in the gaming industry, they're more direct competitors.
As for UWE and SONY, I have no doubt they tried to work the best deal they could between SONY and MS, and along the way they realized that MS would be their priority. That's not to say they weren't going to take a PSN port past the concept and develop it - although playing second-fiddle is obviously less optimal to SONY - but business is as much about mundane deadlines of tweaking, debugging, documenting, and trying to avoid cowboy programming with limited resources, as it is about horse-trading.
However they choose for Microsoft as their fist venture into the "lands of consoles", because Xbox Live has a preview program, which allows for active development of early access games to be sold on their platform. While Sony doesn't allow early access game on their platform.
Subnautica needs Steam installed in order to run, unfortunately. It's like this with many Steam games including Terraria.
Oh, you sweet summer child (ok that was too condescending instead of just funny like I wanted, sorry).
Pirated versions have the DRM stripped out. Also:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnyegriffiths/2012/05/18/the-truth-is-it-doesnt-work-cd-projekt-on-drm/#690ff80f40bc
Snippet from there:
It seems that your beef with these companies are getting in the way of you just simply buying the game. I feel as long as you get what you payed for it doesn't really matter. Now I understand that you came here for suggestions on how to buy the game in some backstreet way but I'm gonna give you some advice instead. Your beef with Steam and whoever else is keeping you from truly enjoying a really good game. Your just making things harder on yourself for reasons unbeknownst to me. My suggestion on how to buy the game is just buy it on steam, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ocean because the experience is well worth it.
Basically confirms what has been said previously.
I'll add some context since I think you're missing my point.
This is not a game developed in the 90s when you were calculating the initial price of the console by the projected revenue of future titles from console-specific publishers, with Square having to choose between SONY (Playstation 1) and Nintendo (N64).
FF7 was developed with a single platform in mind with specific requirements right from conception.
However, it's certain Subnautica was well on its way through the developmental process, even as its company was negotiating the console on which it was to be first released. That's just the nature of development and gaming business today with multi-platforming. I guarantee you UWE put its top financial and production resources, including its A-team managers and programmers and even most of its B-team, on the XboxOne instead of the PSN the moment a deal was struck - with solid, very hard deadlines. UWE did not divide resources equally between the XboxOne project staff and the PSN staff (if they even existed).
I also guarantee that anything related to the PSN was set on the UWE's backburner or had deadlines (if they were scheduled at all) that were extremely "soft". It wouldn't surprise me if they skimped on documentation or optimization or gave the SONY's TRCs passing glances (no matter what their professional habits). Meanwhile, every cursory problem on the XboxOne likely became an "all-hands-on-deck" affair, because that was the "Real Deal".
Everyone understands this is simple prioritization.
And that reflects the price and compensation in the nature of the Deal which is not calculated (for the most part) in terms of immediate hard currency.
The predictable eventuality - which is purpose-built into any practical Deal between UWE and MS (and UWE and SONY if they had one in place) - is that the XboxOne gets a defacto exclusive content window for Subnautica over PSN for a period of time. And that gap means a lot, because it's worth a lot. And remember, it's called a "window"; I never said they were freezing out SONY in perpetuity. In fact, a company like UWE would probably try to sell SONY on a consolation development timeline for Subnautica, depending on whatever UWE already has in the works - that's good business (although SONY can be pretty petty). And if they did, they probably did it months if not years ago.
The deal with Steam, however, is a different story.
Whereas the console ports are a little more "justified" due to technical and practical realities (although business practice still come into play at many levels, the degree to which is speculation), I'm pretty sure the Steam-only exclusion is more about intentional, artificial scarcity. It's beyond speculation. It's not as if you need to revise the controller interface in Unity for example. And I don't think the developmental benefits of using Steam to help expand content is what really prevents UWE from releasing a Steamless PC version.
The Chinese (PRC) have their own indigenous console knockoffs. They're reputedly a little more honest - on the whole - in closing their markets, which might be considered a breath of fresh air compared to the Koreans and Japanese. Personally, I don't mind that any of these countries protect their industries, I just wish America went to the same lengths to protect its own a long time ago.
Things are getting better though.
That would pretty much make my point. The package MS offered UWE was better than what SONY offered, and the practical timelines and developmental track in the deal factored into the deadlines and defacto window of exclusive content.
Everybody knows the developmental reasons why Square chose the SONY over Nintendo. Price is not simply a monetary compensation in negotiating Business.
You misunderstand.
I dont' simply want to avoid using Steam.
I want to avoid direct payments and benefits to Steam.
I'm economically literate so I know I can't avoid paying Steam in one way or another given their position in the market. UWE has partnered with Steam too. It's like injecting insulin into the body. The injection's effects will eventually propogate to the rest of the system no matter what part of the system you apply it. However, the degree to which it will propogate and its effects on the overall system will vary depending on the site of the direct injection - a subcutaneous fat layer, a muscle, an artery (no, don't put it in an artery), etc.
I'm just looking to patronize UWE directly, or at least avoid directly patronizing Steam, and that's the hangup.
Correct.
Your insinuation is amusing and contradictory.
If I wanted to go to the "backstreet" and download a pirated copy, or sit back and relax and purchase the game through steam, I'd have been playing the game within hours of its release.
Both methods are equally easy. They are not mutually exclusive in terms of "ease" as a presumption behind your framing.
I would not go to this much trouble if I wanted to just get a Steamless but pirated copy to play (therein lies the problem of UWE's rightful and proper compensation), Nor would I bother with this if I were going to play the game anyway through Steam (paying people who undermine your way of life, is bad business).
I decline.
This game looks really well-made, and I'm an experienced diver, so it has that kind of appeal to me. I guess I'll have to stick to the real thing.
Thanks for your responses guys. I think I'll wrap it up there.
You are very incorrect. There is no 'B-Team' on Xbox. There is only the Subnautica team, and the Natural Selection 2 team inside UWE. While Grip games did do some initial Xbox conversion work, the majority since has been done in-house by our own Subnautica team. There has never been a 'negotiation' between Console Platforms, it's as simple as this: PS4 does not support Early Access/Game Preview Games. Xbox does. That's it.
You can help us directly by buying the game on Steam. If you speak Chinese, you can buy it on WeGame or Arc.
Just one nitpick here and off-topic and don't take this the wrong way
Anyway, the fact is that the devs have publicly stated they choose Xbox over PS4, BECAUSE of the preview program. Which gives them the option to have their development funded by "early access" purchases from Steam, Oculus and the Xbox Live Preview Program... The devs were inexperienced in console development and the game was still in very early access, it was in fact in an alpha state at the time they started development for Xbox. Sony simply does not allow a game that is still under heavy development on their platform. It has nothing to do with "deals", it has to do with where they actually were given the option to develop their game and sell it at the same time to fund further development.
Also UWE started Subnautica development on Steam, because they already had experienced with how Steam works (Natural Selection 2/Zen of Sudoku) and on Steam they have the added benefit of using Valve's digital distribution system through the Steam content servers. UWE is a small indie company that simply has to make use of such features, because they are very cost effective compared to setting up and maintaining your own early access distribution system. And the fact that Steam allows for instant prototyping, whenever they have a new "experimental" version only adds to the ease of development for smaller indie devs.
Xbox Live for example has an time intensive approval system, which only allows for big patches to be released and can take up to a week to be approved. For Steam on the other hand, the devs can instantly release a bugfix any time the devs want to release one. They use the "Subnautica Experimental Branch" for this, which any one who owns the game can opt in. Giving them the option to have people and playtesters help test these new features/bugfixes and report potential new bugs.
The money that UWE pays to Valve though revenue share, pays for the use of Valve's their digital distribution systems and gives the devs access to a lot of very helpful Steamworks toolkits and a very well visited store front. UWE simply doesn't have the funds to pay for huge marketing campaigns and content servers, that's why Steam is one of the best platforms for Indiedevs alongside some other smaller stores.
But hey, all that aside. Maybe they will someday release a non-DRM version. Maybe purchased through Humble Bundle, they tend to have Steam/DRM free versions for qutie a few games
I got the first few sentences, didn't understand the next few, and kind of gave up trying.
Who knew that there was a difficulty curve on the English language?
Perhaps it's because GOG's content update system isn't as easy as Steam's? I would hope that it wouldn't be any harder than keeping Occulus Home up to date (speaking of, @Jerych you can buy it from the Occulus Store and bypass Steam, and I believe you can still launch it in normal mode. Someone like Obraxis would have to confirm that, I'm not 100% sure.)
I noticed the same thing and I have heard people talk like this before. In my experience, people who talk like this seem to think that they are of some higher intelligence and are usually stuck up. From what I've read it didn't really seem like he took anyone's advice and instead just gave a reason for why they were wrong so I think this is the case.
This discussion, quite entertaining it is.
1. Jerych has had one of his accounts hacked in the past and because of which he lost all his accounts and therefore no longer trusts online corporation
2. Jerych is secretly from EA and is forced to use origin or the CEO will limit his nutrition cubes again
3. He believes they're putting chemicals in the water that turn the frigging hover fish gay.
It a Damn Fine Game you're missing...
Your loss.
< shrug >
@phantomfinch! I'm shocked at you! You know full well EA got rid of nutrition cubes years ago because of the expense. They've been on nutrient paste since 2014. Although I understand they're in hot water with Microsoft/343 over patent infringement. Something about how their cafeteria works the same way that Grunts in Halo are fed.
To get more toward the meat of the matter, though...
I run a small business. And while my products are top-notch, I'm suffering. Why? One word: exposure. All of the advertising and publicity are mine to handle, and the costs are mine to bear. With greater exposure the business would do well, but I just can't afford it. Smaller (i.e. not AAA) developers have the same problem. You have a killer product but how are you going to get enough people to see it, let alone buy it? Through your website? As if. How many random developer websites does anybody look at in a week? (Answer courtesy of Muggy: not frickin' many!) You can have the best products in the world, but if nobody knows about them, it's the same as winking at a girl in the dark; you know what you're doing, but nobody else does. I can top all of my large-business competitors on quality and variety every day of the week and twice on Sunday, but because my market exposure is low, I'm bleeding.
Software developers these days, though, have a huge benefit that small outfits in years gone by did not: online marketplaces. And the 600 pound gorilla in the room is, yes, Steam. But while they do have their faults, they provide one glorious benefit - they give smaller development houses the exact same footing as the AAA goliaths. Yes! UWE is no garage outfit, but they're not Ubisoft. Yet they get the same exposure, even better exposure, than Ubi or other supermassive houses because of...Steam. UWE gets more eyeballs on their product with Steam than they could have with full distribution rights at every game store in the heydey of the '90s. Now, nothing is free, and for this benefit Steam takes its slice of the pie. But better to share a slice of a pretty damn big pie than be dining on dirt.
If UWE had had to sell Subnautica without the benefit of Steam and its Early Access program, it's altogether likely that we never would've seen it. There would've been no EA buzz, no YouTubers like Jacksepticeye drawing in views and customers, no EA revenue to keep development going. Even if it had survived to release, it probably would've been a vastly different game because it was developed in a vacuum; thanks to the EA program in Steam, gamers got to play with it, give feedback here and there, and the result was a stronger product than one developed without input.
I'll be frank: I did not like Steam. I'm very much a "I bought this game, stay out of my way now" person. I was still buying hardcopy CDs until stores stopped carrying them. I don't completely trust digital distribution, and there are too many problems with the various platforms for me to trust them completely. Almost all of this stems back to my first brush with online DRM thanks to Half-Life 2 - a system which grew into Steam - and it soured online for me for a good long time. But - and this is true - one thing got me to give Steam a try. It was Subnautica. I'd been watching Jacksepticeye play this awesome game and, dammit, I wanted in on the fun. So I got myself a not-quite-decent laptop, installed Steam, bought my copy of Subnautica, and gave it all a go. And much to my surprise, it wasn't bad. (Steam, that is. Subnautica was a frickin' dream.)
The point is that, yes, Steam has its faults, but its benefit to developers - particularly smaller developers - is immense. We as gamers get to find games we never would've heard of otherwise, and developers get to put their products out to the world. We have fun, the developers can make a living, and Steam takes enough cash to keep the lights on and turn a profit. Frankly, everybody wins.
It's easy to hate on a company for having a huge footprint. And it's easy, on the surface, to characterize Steam as parasitic; after all, they do take away from profits for the developer. But so does every other digital distribution platform, from App Store to GOG to GooglePlay. (Origin doesn't but that's because it's owned by the fraggin' developer, and UWE can't afford to do that.) But the truth of the matter is that it's not parasitism; it's symbiosis. Both UWE and Steam make out better than they would've without each other. Steam provides a service which UWE pays for. UWE provides the game which we pay for. And we get the entertainment value. It's basic economics. Everybody wants what someone else has, so they buy it. Providing a marketplace for that transaction is good for everybody.
Perhaps you should read some good books instead of online forum posts for a change, Kouji. That's what English looks like when it's used properly... for what it's worth, I actually really, really appreciated seeing someone on the internet use decent English skills for a change. The only reason it seems obnoxious or "stuck up" is because you're not on the same level as him. All too often pride in one's intellect is met with derision or ridicule, and a great talent in something is mistaken for arrogance, but we're not in primary school any more, gentlemen. Give the guy a break. He's most definitely not indicating at all that he thinks he's "better" than anyone else; it's clear he's got a talent for English, he's practiced and honed that talent, perhaps studied it, certainly read a lot, (probably, like me, gives himself the occasional hemorrhoid by reading on the toilet for too long) and good for him for using that ability.
I can also sympathise with the desire to avoid Steam. I don't share the sentiment myself, but I can understand it. Unfortunately, the plain truth is that you're out of luck, OP. Welcome to the homogenised, materialistic world we find ourselves in.
There is Denuvo which had some success since making it difficult for certain games to be cracked, but this type of software seems to be limited to AAA companies. So even if an uncrackable game is created, the software that made it uncrackable would not be available to a company like Unknown Worlds.
Other than that, if you are from another country there might be local gaming sites that are more suitable for you. Most sites however do not have their own overlay and will simply sell steam codes.
That is it, really, you just can not get around Steam, and it has been like this for years. I understand your concerns, but unless you comply your only hope is for another major player to emerge and the question is, if you would support this company then.
Go here and sort the results by "DRM" and look at all the titles that use Denuvo, and their status. All Denuvo can do is delay the inevitable (and I'd wager, games that aren't cracked quickly might not be that popular; crackers seem to work for bragging rights).
But it's still up to UWE if they want to (if it's even feasible for them).