UPDATE 29/1/19: THQ Nordic, which owns Metro Exodus publisher Deep Silver, has shared its own statement regarding yesterday's controversial announcement that 4A Games' forthcoming first-person shooter is now a one-year timed exclusive on the Epic Store.
In a post to Twitter, THQ Nordic, which acquired Deep Silver and distributor Koch Media last year, sought to distance itself from the news, telling fans that the exclusivity deal was "made entirely on Koch Media's side as Metro is their intellectual property. They are a sister company of THQ Nordic (Vienna), which is the reason why we can and will not comment on this matter."
The publisher did offer assurances, however, that while it was unprepared "to categorically exclude the possibility of timed exclusives for any of our games in the future... speaking in the here and now, we definitely want to have the players choose the platform of their liking and make our portfolio available to as many outlets as possible."