For One Game Dev, Linux Users Submit More Bug Reports Than Any Other

When you take a look at the state of Linux gaming as it was just a decade ago, and then look at it again today, the differences are almost staggering. More developers have jumped on board with native builds, while many others have ensured (or maybe not) that their titles run fine through Proton. We’re at a point now where even if a newly-launched game requires Windows, it may very well work for Linux on day one.

Whenever we think about the current state of Linux gaming, we can’t help but be reminded of our fifteen-year-old article taking a look at the top ten free Linux games. Admittedly, we had to try hard to come up with a worthwhile ten titles to promote, because developer support back then just wasn’t what it is today. Things have certainly changed, and because of that, just how seriously Linux users take gaming has become all the more evident.

Kodera Software’s ΔV: Rings of Saturn

In a post submitted to the r/gamedev subreddit, the developer of the space mining simulator ΔV: Rings of Saturn explains just how valuable Linux users can be when it comes to optimizing and bug-fixing your game. They note that despite Linux gamers accounting for just 5.8% of purchases, a staggering 38% of total bug reports came from them.

It’s easy to misread this as meaning that Linux users like to complain more, but that’s not it. The reality is, of all the bug reports submitted – 1,040 in all – a mere three of them were explicitly related to the Linux version. The remainder of the Linux-submitted bug reports impacted all versions of ΔV: Rings of Saturn (it’s also available for macOS and Windows).

Kodera Software’s ΔV: Rings of Saturn

It’s not just in quantity that Linux gamers stood out here, but also with the quality of the reports. The developer notes that reports as simple as “it crashes for me after a few hours” with no additional information doesn’t help. Linux users often submitted highly-detailed reports that made bug-squashing easier.

So, was building a Linux version, despite low sales, worth it? To this developer, it was: “Oh, yes – at least for me. Not for the extra sales – although it’s nice. It’s worth it to get the massive feedback boost and free, hundred-people strong QA team on your side. An invaluable asset for an independent game studio.”