Ryan Anderson, level designer at Team Meat, recently discussed the Epic Games Store timed exclusivity deal for Super Meat Boy Forever. He stated that the financial security provided by Epic was vital for the survival of this small team, outweighing the reputational damage caused by the exclusivity decision.
Anderson said that Epic's commitment to pay a fixed sum not only covered the game's production costs but also provided funding for the team's next project. Even if Super Meat Boy Forever underperformed commercially, this subsequent development budget would remain unaffected.
Store revenue splits also influenced Team Meat's decision. The Epic Games Store takes a lower commission than Steam's standard 30% cut. Anderson stated that with a team size of only 4 to 7 people, being able to retain more revenue was a significant factor in accepting the timed exclusivity deal.
When the game launched on Steam a year later, it received a wave of negative reviews. Anderson believes that many users deliberately lowered their scores because the game had not been available on Steam for the previous year, rather than evaluating its gameplay mechanics or level design. This concentrated backlash made the development team feel personally targeted, leading them to ultimately ignore such criticism.
Anderson also cited the Call of Duty series as an example, noting that creators of major titles do not overly concern themselves with criticism from non-target audiences. He also mentioned that some players oppose Epic Games Store exclusives while already being accustomed to Steam's dominance, which he sees as reflecting a double standard among players regarding different platforms.
To illustrate this point, Anderson looked back at The Orange Box, a compilation released in 2007 that included Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. At the time, the mandatory installation of the Steam client also sparked strong backlash from players. He believes that users tend to gradually accept dominant platforms while remaining hostile toward new competitors, making platform competition crucial for the survival of independent teams.
Super Meat Boy Forever launched on PC on December 23, 2020. The game currently holds a "Mixed" rating on Steam, whereas the original Super Meat Boy, released in 2010, boasts a 94% positive review rate.