Epic Games has released a statement denouncing the abuse of developers who have signed an exclusivity deal for its storefront.

In a post on its website, the Fortnite maker said it was disturbed by the vitriol that studios who opt to go exclusively with Epic are receiving from gamers.

Glumberland, developers of Ooblets has revealed it’s been receiving thousands of pieces of hate mail. The harassment includes creating fake screenshots of the developers and sending threatening messages.

This follows the company’s recent announcement, revealing the game would be an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC.

Titles coming exclusively to the Epic Games Store has caused a lot of ire within the PC games community. Releases such as Deep Silver and 4A’s Metro Exodus were locked down by Epic after being available for pre-order on Steam, which served to annoy its fanbase.

Meanwhile backers of Shenmue 3’s crowdfunding push were annoyed that the eagerly-anticipated title would only be available on Epic’s storefront on PC, with the Fortnite maker agreeing to cover refunds for dissatisfied customers.

“We at Epic Games have often shared our views about the game business and companies in it, and we support the entire game community’s right to speak freely and critically about these topics, including the topic of Epic, our products, and our store. When everyone shares their earnest views, the best ideas ultimately prevail,” the statement read.

“The announcement of Ooblets highlighted a disturbing trend which is growing and undermining healthy public discourse, and that’s the coordinated and deliberate creation and promotion of false information, including fake screenshots, videos, and technical analysis, accompanied by harassment of partners, promotion of hateful themes, and intimidation of those with opposing views.”

The statement continued: “Epic is working together with many game developers and other partners to build what we believe will be a healthier and more competitive multi-store world for the future. We remain fully committed, and we will steadfastly support our partners throughout these challenges. Many thanks to all of you that continue to promote and advocate for healthy, truthful discussion about the games business and stand up to all manners of abuse.”