A few days ago we talked about Bee Simulator, an upcoming PC/console game that aims to accurately portray the life of a simple bee. Even though the title brings to mind the more wacky antics of Goat Simulator or its many clones, the Bee Simulator developers are hoping for a family-friendly affair with co-op honey-gathering action. Judging by the response we got, there's more interest in the game than you might think. That's why it's a bit awkward to announce that the game will be Epic exclusive.
As per Bee Simulator publisher Bigben, the game and two others set to release this year will be Epic Games Store exclusives. It's the typical one year exclusive deal, which doesn't affect any console releases the games might have. Bee Simulator will still release on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One on November 14th. It will just also only release on the Epic Store for its PC version. The other two Bigben games that just went Epic exclusive are Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory and WRC 8.
Our last report pointed out the educational aspirations developer VARSAV Game Studios has for Bee Simulator. The game has players living as an average bee in a Central Park hive. Players take quests from the queen to ensure the colony's survival, and even confront the danger of humans coming to take down the hive. The announcement of co-op was aimed at encouraging families to play together. With the game, VARSAV hopes "to change [player] views on the balance between work, life and the environment."
With that goal in mind, it doesn't really matter what platform the game is available on. Children have no concept of the difference between digital game stores (unless they're oddly well-informed). There's also probably a small cross-section between avid pro-Steam gamers and parents who play educational games with their children. If one looks at it that way, it makes sense that Bigben would make a deal with Epic to get that sweet exclusive payoff.
Bigben's take on the exclusivity is to emphasize just how varied the Epic Games Store catalogue is becoming. And to point out that adding a bee game, a twisted RPG, and a racing game only makes the Epic offerings more varied. Benoit Clerc, Head of Publishing at Bigben, had this to say:
"We are very pleased to be reinforcing our Epic Games store offer with a variety of unique games from our catalogue. Our latest offer is comprised of three games that are very different from each other: Bee Simulator, a superb family game; Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory, a tactical CRPG brimming with dark humour; and WRC 8, the official simulation of the FIA World Rally Championship, which will also be the first rally game available on the Epic Games Store."