Lords of the Fallen 2 ends publishing deal with Epic Games

Previously planned as an Epic Games Store-exclusive release, Lords of the Fallen 2 Developer CI Games has decided to terminate its exclusive deal with Epic ahead of the 2026 launch. It is still unclear when Lords of the Fallen 2 will be released, but news surrounding the title has increased and could likely have a trailer at Summer Games Fest this year.

Lords of the Fallen 2 is the third entry in Lords of the Fallen series, and the follow-up to the 2023 reboot of the franchise, which launched to mixed reviews but has since become a bit of a cult hit thanks to numerous updates over the years. Despite a mixed showing at launch, interest in the series remained high due to its unique soul-like premise of transporting players between two worlds. In fact, interest in the series remained strong enough that Epic Games offered CI Games a deal in 2024 to publish Lords of the Fallen 2 exclusively on the Epic Games Store on PC for the entire product lifecycle, which the company accepted. Epic Games is of course no stranger to making deals to game developers and publishers for exclusive PC showcase rights for their upcoming games, much to the chagrin of some PC gamers who feel that showcase exclusivity is outside the spirit of what it means to play on a PC.

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Lords of the Fallen 2 Release window leaks early

Accidentally leaked information currently reveals a much tighter window for when the anticipated sequel to Lords of the Fallen will hit shelves.

Lords of the Fallen 2 may come to Steam after release from Epic Games Store exclusivity

Now, like Lords of the Fallen 2 appears to be on track for its proposed 2026 launch, CI Games has announced that it has terminated its exclusive deal with Epic Games, and the upcoming soulslike is free to be on whichever storefront it wants to be on. The official separation agreement was published on May 18, 2026, and can be found on CI Games' website, where readers will discover that the separation occurred on April 14, 2026, and will only now be made public because an immediate disclosure could have “advanced the company's legitimate interests.” Readers will also note that this separation agreement is “conditional in nature” and will not affect any use of Unreal Engine 5 or any Epic Online service and infrastructure currently built into the upcoming Lords of the Fallen 2.

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Neither CI Games nor Epic Games have revealed any reasoning as to why Lords of the Fallen 2 is now free of Epic exclusivity, but some speculation online suggests that this may be because storefront exclusivity can hurt the game more than help it. Some developers have reported that Epic Games Store exclusivity hurt game sales due to strong fan loyalty to Steam, only to see massive sales increases when timed exclusivity ended and the games appeared on other platforms. In fact, games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Kingdom Hearts have treated their arrival on Steam after their Epic exclusivity as a completely separate launch, complete with new trailers to announce that the game is now on Valve's storefront. Alan Wake 2 remains one of the few AAA games to remain an Epic Games Store exclusive throughout its life.

For some fans, if a game isn't on Steam, it pretty much doesn't exist, and maybe that's what CI Games is trying to get ahead of when they cancel their deal for Lords of the Fallen 2. Opening up a game's launch to as many avenues as possible for fans to spend their money can hardly be a bad thing. But the fact remains that Lords of the Fallen 2 has been a bit of a controversial title in recent weeks and months, and that could certainly affect how it performs commercially.

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CI Games has been in hot water in the past over statements made by CEO Marek Tyminski, which he later clarified on social media but not before somewhat dividing the fan base. Lords of the Fallen 2 also recently caused quite a stir with his female armor, which some fans have deemed impractical and in bad taste. How recent controversies and divided fanbases impact Lords of the Fallen 2s end result will be an interesting story to follow as Soulslike marches towards its 2026 release date.