In a plot twist nobody saw coming, CI Games and Epic Games have terminated their publishing agreement for Lords of the Fallen II, according to Game Developer. The deal, had it survived, would have locked the upcoming soulslike sequel behind an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC - a move that was guaranteed to trigger a full lobby of keyboard warriors.
For those keeping score at home: CI Games scored a surprisingly solid hit with the 2023 reboot of Lords of the Fallen, so the sequel had some serious hype points stacked in its favor. Tying that to an Epic exclusivity deal was, let's say, a bold strat - and it appears both parties decided to respawn and try a different approach before the game even launched.
What this actually means for the sequel
The termination of the publishing deal doesn't mean the game is cancelled - think of it more like a party member leaving the group before the final boss. CI Games still has the sequel in development, they just won't have Epic riding shotgun as publisher anymore.
The bigger question now is what happens to the PC release strategy. Without Epic in the picture, Lords of the Fallen II is presumably free to launch on Steam, GOG, and wherever else PC gamers have been camping out since 2004. The soulslike community, which has strong opinions about literally everything, will probably consider this an unexpected buff to the game's overall reception before it's even been shown off properly.
A rough co-op run for both sides
Epic has been on a bit of a boss rush lately when it comes to securing big exclusives, and this deal collapsing is another hit to that strategy. Meanwhile, CI Games gets to dodge the PR damage that comes with exclusivity announcements in 2025 - which, frankly, hits harder than most endgame builds.
Whether CI Games lines up a new publishing partner or goes solo like a hardcore no-hit runner remains to be seen. One thing's for sure: Lords of the Fallen II just leveled up its reputation without even releasing a single screenshot.
