This will not change much on macOS since Apple made it pretty clear early on that developers should use Metal (even after the Metal for Mac announcement in 2015).

It’s the same with 32-Bit apps. Apple is going all-in on 64-Bit/Metal. As a developer, if you also plan to release on iOS (which is the biggest mobile gaming platform) you have to support Metal anyway.

The porting houses use Metal now, Feral will even update some older titles like Tomb Raider (2013) to 64-Bit/Metal.

We may not like it, but both DirectX and Metal are here to stay. It’s still an uphill battle for Vulkan.

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Performance is pretty good, but it’s the most unstable Feral game I’ve ever played on Linux or Mac. In Ubuntu 17.10 with the recommended NVIDIA beta drivers it freezes constantly, especially in the Soviet facility. One of the optional tombs is impossible to complete due to freezing/lock-up of the whole screen. I’m on a fresh install, Skylake Core i7, 32GB RAM and a GTX 1080.

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I love DRM-free games and I love GOG because they're great neighbours. ;-)

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Quoting: Aspyr_Blair

Quoting: ShmerlWasn't it supposed to come out on GOG?

GOG turned it down :(

That's unfortunate and a bit surprising, to be honest. Maybe they thought AER – Memories of Old and Race To The Sun already fill a similar niche.

Did they give any explanation you are allowed to share, Blair? ;-)

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The Mac version is also not available on GOG.

What’s the problem, Aspyr? Layers of Fear was a DRM-free multiplatform release.

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Quoting: Shmerl

Quoting: JanGerman Linux gaming site Holarse is claiming Observer for Linux (and Mac) won‘t come to GOG at all! This would mean the only DRM-free version is for Windows users only. Oh, the irony.

Can you link to the source please?

https://www.holarse-linuxgaming.de/news/aspyr_ver%C3%B6ffentlicht_heute_die_linux_version_des_cyber_punk_horror_titels_observer [External Link]

They asked Aspyr. Answer: Observer Linux is Steam only. WTF?!?

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German Linux gaming site Holarse is claiming Observer for Linux (and Mac) won‘t come to GOG at all! This would mean the only DRM-free version is for Windows users only. Oh, the irony.

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Quoting: ShmerlBy the way, why is it missing Linux release on GOG? Does it have any multiplayer features that would rely on Galaxy?

As far as I know it’s a pure single player experience. Since Bloober Team is also a Polish company (based in Cracow, even close to CD Projekt‘s second studio) it amazes me how complicated it can be to have a day and date release on GOG.

Maybe it’s due to Aspyr being an American company and Steam simply being the number one platform.

Personally, it would’ve been a day 1 Linux purchase for me on GOG to show my support for both Aspyr and Bloober.

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I just hope the Linux version will also come to GOG on October 24. :-)

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Is this really news? The year of the Linux desktop is not happening, SteamOS was not the saviour, Steam Machines are gone and Valve is only treating the platform as a backup plan. Not more, not less.

We all know: As soon as Feral abandons Linux, it‘s the end of AAA ports for Linux. Aspyr‘s gone indie, the big publishers don‘t care at all.

From the bottom of my broken heart I know: It‘s probably the right thing to use Linux, and I hope Feral will give us an amazing Vulkan showcase with Rise of the Tomb Raider. But the state of Linux gaming in 2017 is pretty clear: It‘s an amazing platform for indies and some AA titles.

But as soon as soon as we leave the comfort zone of Unity-powered games, it‘s looking rather grim. Even though Unreal supports Linux we don‘t see many AA titles releasing with day-1 support or announced ports. Maybe middleware is an issue, maybe the developers don‘t see financial viability.

Think of stuff like Snake Pass or Hellblade. Technically, it shouldn‘t be a big burden, but it‘s not happening anyway.

Hats off to Feral for supporting a niche platform, but they couldn‘t survive as a Linux-only porting house. Let‘s not be deluded: The recent net marketshare numbers aren‘t representative. Linux isn‘t bigger on the desktop than macOS.

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