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Looks like Republique is no longer getting a Linux port

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We announced back in February that the developers of Republique were working on a Linux port, but needed some middleware to add Linux support. However it seems like this never happened, and the efforts to bring the game to Linux have been abandoned.

This very promising looking stealth game has an interesting aesthetic and dystopian vibe to it, along with voice acting from the likes of David Hayter so it had me pretty excited. Unfortunately though, according to the developers the port no longer seems feasible:

QuoteUnfortunately, after some recent research, we've determined this can't be done. Republique utilizes several brands of middleware that are incompatible with Linux/SteamOS, including Criware.


This is pretty disappointing to say the least, even more so given that the developers themselves seemed pretty enthusiastic. It also goes to show that just because a game is built using Unity 5, porting to Linux is not always as simple as clicking a button.

Criware itself is a Japanese company, and knowing the disdain found for Linux among the Japanese games industry, it hardly seems surprising that the company hasn’t added Linux support to its middleware, and given that the developers seem to have cancelled the port altogether, it doesn’t seem like the company ever will.

I guess all we can do as Linux gamers is try and promote a culture of cross-platform development so this kind of thing doesn’t happen as often in the future. If developers begin their games with the intention of publishing across multiple platforms, using multi-platform tools then the porting process is ultimately easier and cheaper in the long run, and an increased demand for multi-platform support will also push companies like Criware to think about Linux. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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About the author -
After many years of floating through space on the back of a missile, following a successful career in beating people up for not playing Sega Saturn, the missile returned to earth. Upon returning, I discovered to my dismay that the once great console had been discontinued and Sega had abandoned the fight to dominate the world through 32-bit graphical capabilities.

After spending some years breaking breeze blocks with my head for money and being mocked by strangers, I have found a new purpose: to beat up people for not playing on Linux.
See more from me
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28 comments
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Keizgon Dec 25, 2015
Quoting: kit89I think the 'Japanese Games Industry has disdain for Linux' is one massive generalisation that doesn't have any facts to back it up.

Japan in general likes to stick to old things/tech/methods and that means software that was first introduced to them has them spoiled. We see this in many bad programming practices and overprotective nonsense when it comes to propietary technologies they cling to. Ownership had made them into obsessed old fogies. That is "most" of Japan, sadly.

You have to thoroughly study their culture and perhaps live there to understand the mentality. I like a lot of things that come out of Japan, but I'm not going to defend this as untrue.

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Unfortunate for the developers and unfortunate for us. No game, no money. Hope one day they will stop using shit middleware from Japan and other proprietary restrictive methods. Capcom seems to get this at least.


Last edited by Keizgon on 25 December 2015 at 9:32 am UTC
mao_dze_dun Dec 25, 2015
And on goes the parade of non-developers who seem to know better than professional game creators. Anyway, it's a sad news. I guess that eON is the only viable solution to the problem (maybe).
slaapliedje Dec 25, 2015
Really sucks how often this happens. Pretty sure that was why Unreal Tournament 3 was never released for Linux. At least Bioware at the time had just skipped supporting the cut scenes between chapters and released Neverwinter Nights anyhow.
Ignis Dec 25, 2015
Quoting: maodzedunAnd on goes the parade of non-developers
I ask of you… are you, perhaps, a prophet? Some people posting on GOL are developers.
Keyrock Dec 26, 2015
Given my mild interest in this game, I find this news disappointing. Oh well.
Segata Sanshiro Dec 26, 2015
Quoting: Keizgon
Quoting: kit89I think the 'Japanese Games Industry has disdain for Linux' is one massive generalisation that doesn't have any facts to back it up.

Japan in general likes to stick to old things/tech/methods and that means software that was first introduced to them has them spoiled. We see this in many bad programming practices and overprotective nonsense when it comes to propietary technologies they cling to. Ownership had made them into obsessed old fogies. That is "most" of Japan, sadly.

You have to thoroughly study their culture and perhaps live there to understand the mentality. I like a lot of things that come out of Japan, but I'm not going to defend this as untrue.

Yup. I stick to my statement. You've summed it up in a nutshell. I mean, if you want to take it further you can also say there's a disdain towards PC gaming as opposed to console gaming, so Linux is already pretty far down the pecking order as it is.

Japan is one of the few countries on earth where the majority of the population still use Internet Explorer. Fun fact.
Supay Dec 26, 2015
Quoting: Segata Sanshiro
Quoting: Keizgon
Quoting: kit89I think the 'Japanese Games Industry has disdain for Linux' is one massive generalisation that doesn't have any facts to back it up.

Japan in general likes to stick to old things/tech/methods and that means software that was first introduced to them has them spoiled. We see this in many bad programming practices and overprotective nonsense when it comes to propietary technologies they cling to. Ownership had made them into obsessed old fogies. That is "most" of Japan, sadly.

You have to thoroughly study their culture and perhaps live there to understand the mentality. I like a lot of things that come out of Japan, but I'm not going to defend this as untrue.

Yup. I stick to my statement. You've summed it up in a nutshell. I mean, if you want to take it further you can also say there's a disdain towards PC gaming as opposed to console gaming, so Linux is already pretty far down the pecking order as it is.

Japan is one of the few countries on earth where the majority of the population still use Internet Explorer. Fun fact.

I saw a recent news article about the massive use of cassette tapes, fax machines and other old tech still prevalent in many Japanese companies big and small. Always seems strange that a country so advanced in technology and with such a glut of products sold around the world seems to struggle with accepting new tech internally and always seems to be reporting shaky economic circumstances. Hope to visit one day and find out for myself.
Segata Sanshiro Dec 26, 2015
Quoting: Guest
Quoting: Segata SanshiroJapan is one of the few countries on earth where the majority of the population still use Internet Explorer. Fun fact.
I tried to find a source for that and stumbled on this instead: https://www.netmarketshare.com/
If you believe them, most of the world still uses IE… w3schools or statcounter have very different statistics though.

The thing I was referring to was stat counter:



From June 2015. Apparently. South Korea is the only other country, which is also pretty odd.
Segata Sanshiro Dec 26, 2015
double post


Last edited by Segata Sanshiro on 26 December 2015 at 9:41 pm UTC
Zanval Dec 27, 2015
We are working on a linux port, but have a dependency that isn't compatible with the target system.

To me as a software developer, this translates to "We have no idea what we're doing!"

Why not announce the game for Super Nintendo and later say "the system wasn't compatible".
The knowledge was there from day 1. It makes me sad, when people do not think.
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