4A Games didn’t know about the Epic Games Store exclusivity deal until E3 2018. Speaking regarding the people responsible for the decision, a 4A Games employee said, “Don’t know for sure but definitely a surprise for 4A. But we are just developers. It’s publishers business.”
More in the article, Pingal Pratyush discusses the working conditions at 4A Games, the studio’s crunch culture and the production process of Metro Exodus.
Source: N4G PC Metro Exodus Working Conditions, Crunch Culture, Epic Games Exclusivity & Production Process