The Creator of ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Returns with Gen ATLAS - Exclusivity on EGS Sparks Player Discontent

Fumito Ueda, the creator of ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian, pulled the curtain back on a new project at Summer Game Fest 2026: Gen ATLAS. A first trailer hit the show and, well, it left people talking — some with excitement, some with a raised eyebrow.

Shortly after the reveal it emerged that Epic Games Store (EGS) already has a product page for the title; there’s no Steam listing visible. Epic is listed as the publisher. That combo — EGS page + no Steam — immediately set off a flurry of reaction across message boards and socials.

Reactions split in predictable and not-so-predictable ways. Some players reacted negatively, worried the lack of a Steam release could shrink the game's reach or dent sales. Others shrugged: exclusive-ish arrangements aren’t new, and absence from Steam doesn’t always mean total lockout. A different cluster of voices pointed out (rather bluntly) that avoiding Steam’s ~30% cut might let the publisher price differently or leave more revenue to the devs. There were also takes arguing that platform rivalry can be healthy; a single dominant store isn’t great for anyone long term. Short, sharp opinions; long comment threads; memes.

I admit — watching this unfold brought back memories of previous exclusivity dust-ups (and the inevitable hot takes). Meanwhile, the people actually building the game have stayed quiet. The devs haven’t addressed the fan chatter and appear to be concentrating on what comes after the trailer.