We do not officially support Linux and we cannot commit to having support for launch. We are still working on Official Linux Proton compatibility. This official stance has not changed since pre-release. We admit there was a mistake in communication by our CM which was unfortunetly screenshotted in our Discord and then posted on the linux Reddit, when the official stance has always been 'we are working on proton compatibility'.
I mentioned this as a potential issue with Proton when it first started blowing up and was largely dismissed. It’s great that it works. It’s really amazing on Valve’s part what it can do and the gap it bridged. The problem is that it does NOT incentivize developers to support Linux natively. In fact, it does the exact opposite.
EDIT: For those who don’t see why this is an issue - Proton means in the eyes of developers linux users are mostly second class citizens. There are already several cases of developers pushing updates that break proton compatibility and the developers simply shrug their shoulders and move on.
How is it an issue? The alternative is having no compatibility with Linux at all in most cases.
Proton is not a tool to improve Linux support. It’s a tool to improve Linux’ adoption by users. It gives us hope that someday, Linux will be the main gaming OS, that will be worth developing firstly for
In the couple of years before Proton took off games with Linux support was at an all time high, companies like Aspyr and Feryl Interactive helped studios port their game.
Proton has killed off official Linux support and the industry around it for better or for worse.
The argument that Proton purely drives Linux adoption without disincentivizing native development ignores how publishers behave in reality. Instead of inspiring studios to eventually target Linux as a primary platform, Proton gives them an excuse to ignore the platform entirely while washing their hands of compatibility when updates break things. There are already SEVERAL cases where developers have pushed updates to games that worked in proton previously but no longer do. For Honor, Rust, Apex Legends, GTA V to just name a few. When developers treat Proton as a convenient accident rather than a target, it doesn’t pave the way for a native future. It creates a volatile ecosystem where a single background update can permanently strand players on an unsupported island, with the studio refusing to spend a dime to fix it. Proton keeps Linux users as second class citizens.
I disagree with your claim that Proton keeps Linux users as second class citizens. But yes, we should not just rely on proton for everything, we should push for native wherever possible. But it’s a good stepping stone.
Probably not it is easier to develop for Windows. To many variations in Linux installs. I have native Linux ports of games bought decades ago that no longer work. If I had bought windows versions they would still run.
I mentioned this as a potential issue with Proton when it first started blowing up and was largely dismissed. It’s great that it works. It’s really amazing on Valve’s part what it can do and the gap it bridged. The problem is that it does NOT incentivize developers to support Linux natively. In fact, it does the exact opposite.
EDIT: For those who don’t see why this is an issue - Proton means in the eyes of developers linux users are mostly second class citizens. There are already several cases of developers pushing updates that break proton compatibility and the developers simply shrug their shoulders and move on.
How is it an issue? The alternative is having no compatibility with Linux at all in most cases.
Proton is not a tool to improve Linux support. It’s a tool to improve Linux’ adoption by users. It gives us hope that someday, Linux will be the main gaming OS, that will be worth developing firstly for
In the couple of years before Proton took off games with Linux support was at an all time high, companies like Aspyr and Feryl Interactive helped studios port their game.
Proton has killed off official Linux support and the industry around it for better or for worse.
The argument that Proton purely drives Linux adoption without disincentivizing native development ignores how publishers behave in reality. Instead of inspiring studios to eventually target Linux as a primary platform, Proton gives them an excuse to ignore the platform entirely while washing their hands of compatibility when updates break things. There are already SEVERAL cases where developers have pushed updates to games that worked in proton previously but no longer do. For Honor, Rust, Apex Legends, GTA V to just name a few. When developers treat Proton as a convenient accident rather than a target, it doesn’t pave the way for a native future. It creates a volatile ecosystem where a single background update can permanently strand players on an unsupported island, with the studio refusing to spend a dime to fix it. Proton keeps Linux users as second class citizens.
Stop ignoring that linux user base is so small that without proton you wouldn’t be even a second class citizen, you would be no citizen at all.
But that’s literally not true, there were more games with official Linux support than there are now before Proton launched.
Not more then you have available with proton. And i wouldn’t say that the quality can make up for quantity in this case.
That’s not what you said though, you said Linux users would be no customer at all, that was never true.
Proton made the responsibility for support change from the Developers to Valve, and meant that Developers no longer cared to support Linux directly.
Be that good or bad or whatever.
I’m not ignoring it. I even said it was great in my original post. I just don’t believe putting all of the eggs in the Proton basket is a good idea.
I disagree with your claim that Proton keeps Linux users as second class citizens. But yes, we should not just rely on proton for everything, we should push for native wherever possible. But it’s a good stepping stone.
You need to have native development for something to disincentivize it.
There are native Linux games, as few and far between as they are.
Probably not it is easier to develop for Windows. To many variations in Linux installs. I have native Linux ports of games bought decades ago that no longer work. If I had bought windows versions they would still run.
You usually develop for an engine. It’s the ring 0 spyware they use for user tracking that only runs on Windows.
Who cares as long as it works in proton.
Don’t care for native games, proton is fine. Most games I own that provide a native build, I still run through proton because it works better somehow.