I have to say the pace at which Feral Interactive is porting these games with most being dual ports (Linux & MacOS) is very impressive. I really hope they keep this pace and that they continue to get third party developers and publishers who want their games ported so that they can keep this pace. Well done Feral!

That being said I wonder what exactly Aspyr is up to? I mean other than Civ VI which is Mac only, the last game they did that was a dual port was Layers of fear and that some time ago.

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Quoting: soulsourceOr, more mundane, money. They'll have a certain budget available, and given that in software development one has to expect unexpected issues, they might still be investigating if they have enough money (what directly translates into time) available to do a high quality port.

You make a good point, that could very well be a potential reason aswell. Others have mentioned it could be driver issues or complexities given the scale of the project. I honestly can't see how those are issues that can't be overcome. I mean just look at the latest DeusEx using OpenGL.

No, I still think this is not a technical issue, the only technical issues it could be is either middleware as cRaZy-bisCuiT pointed out with maybe being audio middleware but these days Linux pretty much has support for any level of audio you need in gaming from very basic to advanced: SDL, OpenAL, Miles Sound, fMod take your pick. And the same can be said for most Middlewares.

The other issue perhaps could be system dependencies but I mean SDL mostly sorts those out for you, and if you have a system dependency that you really can't resolve on Linux it probably shouldn't be there in the first place.

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I'm just very curious to know what exactly it is about CivVI that is so difficult to port to Linux that they haven't already ported to Mac? Is this really a technical issue or is this more an issue of skills?

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The biggest issue with this is the fact that Linux users are almost always not 100% Linux users. Even if you don't dual boot. For example for a very long time I almost always bought my games on Steam or GOG or Humble on a Windows work laptop my work gave me, and since it was just always there when I saw a sale or bundle. I used it purely for the convenience of it.

Now I generally only buy Linux supported games and play them on my Linux machine, however those sales more than likely counted as a sale for Windows not Linux.

Now this is only my scenario however I'm sure there are tons of these scenarios where Linux sales get counted as Windows sales, and these types of developers need to realise this.

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I understand that this great and the fact that they are looking into it and simply by telling us that Linux gamers can look forward to Vulkan games in the new year indirectly tells us that Feral are not looking to stop anytime soon with Linux support, which is all great. That being said though, I do feel its important to mention that Deus Ex Mankind Divided is using DirectX12 on Windows and the Mac version is running on Metal. The Linux version is the only one that is going to be running on old tech (OpenGL). Just thought I'd mention that aswell.

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This is quickly becoming the new default go to excuse to not launch a game on Linux since all the others have been debunked and just plainly proven false, and that is: "sorry my Middleware I'm using doesn't support Linux."

Now the funny thing is this is also pretty false with most Middelware companies actually having support for Linux whether officially on their website and a simple download or checkout button away or unofficially through the use of an email from you to them with a pretty please in there somewhere.

With this in mind it is also easy to see why a company claiming no Middleware support will either A: never reveal to you what Middleware they are using or B: picked their Middleware so precisely as to pick somehting actually not having Linux support intentionally.

Either way it's bad sportmanship, if you didn't wanna support Linux and platform x then just say so. No need to resort to such low tactics. Your supporters and fans are smarter than that and deserve better than that.

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I have to say Aspyr has been dropping the ball in recent times. They havent put a game out in like 9 months and not much happening with regard to anouncements either. What should be interesting though is given their relationship with 2K if we will see a Mafia III port announced anytime soon and if so if it will only be Mac or Linux aswell.

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Yoh Feral really is a beast when it comes to porting, these guys don't take a break do they? They really remind me of Loki back in the late 90s early 2000s. Well done guys keep it up. I'm sure everyone will agree when I say, The whole Linux community as small as we are perceived to be supports you whole heartedly in all your Linux game porting endevours.

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