Warning: Now requires connecting to Epic Online Services to play online at all.

Originally posted by Dear next of kin...:

Originally posted by seven: No. It doesn't. It uses EOS services for crossplay, no account required.

For a fresh install, before the main menu even comes up, there is a full screen message that pops up saying you have to connect to EOS for online play. The three options are retry, play offline, or quit. There is no option to play online without EOS post release.

Yes, There is no option to play Online without EOS. You do not, however, require an Epic account. EOS handles server handshakes now, So of course EOS is required to play online. This was done to enable crossplay once the console version comes out; Because Steam doesn't support crossplay between consoles, you need an external system to do it.

There ARE other options besides EOS for crossplay support; But those options are not robust enough for the expected requirements of 7DTD crossplay. Imagine having to play a modern internet game on dialup, and you'll be in the right ballpark of understanding.

Lastly, The only thing Epic receives in the process is your IP, which is a necessity of how the internet functions in the first place, and a unique key that is created for you that is unrelated to you in any way. They don't recieve anything else. It's just an authentication handshake saying "Hey, I'm , Please authenticate my connecton." to which EOS responds "Yes, I recognize that token, You're may continue."