Fallout: London won't be playable via Epic Games store copies of Fallout 4 at launch, GOG confirms
Unfortunately, due to the situation the mod finds itself in downgrade-wise, Fallout 4's newest home has had to be ruled out for the moment.
A spokesperson for GOG.com, the PC storefront which is set to distribute massive Fallout 4 mod Fallout: London, has confirmed to VG247 that it's currently not in line to be playable via Epic Games store-bought copies of the game at launch.
If you're out of the loop, Fallout: London's a full conversion mod for Fallout 4 that's set to let us explore a post-apocalytic version of the English capital, complete with fresh factions and quests. After Fallout 4's next-gen update forced its creators to abandon their planned release date of April 23, the mod has been left in a bit of a purgatory.
Following the recent announcement that the version of the mod now in line to be used for the initial release will require players to downgrade their copies of Fallout 4 to an iteration prior to the next-gen update, GOG has told VG247 that this switch will, at least in the short term, unfortunately have an effect on plans to try and offer the mod to PC players regardless of where they've bought the game.
As of writing, the mod being compatible with the GOG version of the game is still a certainty due to that storefront offering "a very simple and convenient rollback feature" and work on a "downgrading option", via "a downgrading tool and/or manual downgrading", that'll allow those who own the game through Steam to play it "is in progress". However, the need to revert game versions has forced Team FOLON and GOG to rule out being able to offer it for Epic-distributed copies on release, simply due to the fact that the storefront doesn't support update rollbacks.
While if you were hoping to play the mod right away via the Epic Games Store version of Fallout 4, this is obviously bad news, it's important to remember that Team FOLON hasn't really been left with a choice in the matter, having found "at the 11th hour" that next-gen Fallout 4 "isn't stable enough". The team has also already indicated that it does still currently have plans to offer a version of the mod that's updated for next-gen Fallout 4 at some point further down the line, which, not requiring a rollback, will presumably work with Epic Store copies.
The GOG spokesperson also highlighted that the situation shows how important it is for PC storefronts to offer the option to rollback updates, especially when it comes to games with very active modding commmunities like Fallout 4, both from the perspective of players who don't want to have updates mess with their load orders, and modders who don't want to be under huge pressure to update their works right away.
As of right now, they tell us, the mod is still being tested by GOG, so there's still a little bit to go yet before we get a finalised idea of what the mod's installation process will look like.
If you're after something interesting to do Fallout 4 mod-wise while you patiently wait for Fallout: London to finally drop once all the necessary testing is done, check this out.