‘Trine 2′ Released For Linux As A Beta, Port Was Easier Than Expected

Frozenbyte say they are huge supporters of Linux and as such have released the Linux version of Trine 2 for purchase though it’s still a beta version.

At last, those of you out there who use Linux for their gaming needs can get hold of Trine 2 right now for the asking price of $14.99. If you’re looking to be rid of some more money though, for $24.99 you could pick up the Collector’s Edition which comes with a digital artbook and the game’s soundtrack.

While still in its beta phase, the Linux version of Frozenbyte’s co-op platformer and graphical wonder contains all of the features the other versions do, including online co-op. The only difference is that when the game is fully realised on the platform, Linux users will be able to play online with Mac users too.

A variety of recent distributions are supported, including Ubuntu 10.10/11.04/11.10, Fedora 16, OpenSUSE 12.1 and Linux Mint 12. Frozenbyte say that other distributions could work as well but may require additional library installations manually. The Linux version of Trine 2 will also come to other distribution channels later in the year, including Desura and Gameolith.

The port to Linux was of big importance for Frozenbyte, whose CEO Lauri Hyvärinen, said:

“Our biggest motivation for the native Linux version was really more of a “because we can”, and also to prove a point that it’s not that difficult to release a great modern game on Linux. We have a few guys here at the office who are already using Linux as their primary operating system at home, so we see a bright future ahead for Linux. Linux users have also been a huge part of the Humble Bundle initiative and clearly there’s a big market for games and other software on Linux, and it’s up to us and other developers to make gaming on Linux worthwhile.

But we have to be realistic about it because we don’t have any advertising or other marketing going on, so financially our expectations are modest. We will be happy if we sell a thousand units or thereabout during the first few weeks.”

Frozenbyte’s Senior Programmer, Jukka Kokkonen, also revealed that the port to Linux ended up being a lot easier than expected:

“Linux porting of Trine 2 turned out to be easier than expected as we already had a working Mac OS X version, which also used an OpenGL renderer. The initial OpenGL rendering port took less than 2 days, after which the renderer was mostly functional, with only some bugs to iron out.

On the other hand, though it was easier than expected to port Trine 2 on Linux, testing and fixing issues caused by differing distributions and release versions turned out to be a bit tedious. These issues and the various system configurations will keep the support people here at Frozenbyte busy after the game is released, but hopefully we will also get some help from the Linux community as well. Overall I think that Trine 2 shows that Linux can provide a proper gaming experience and we are very excited to see how Linux users react to the game.”

More information on Trine 2 can be found on the game’s official website.