Epic Games Store - the console war comes to PC

[FeelTheRads]

5 pages of steam circle-jerking? Sure, who wouldn't want to read that.

 

[Andhaira]

Anything that breaks a monopoly is good. Sure it would suck to have multiple softwares and launchers to run games, but at least it will ensure lower prices.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Anything that breaks a monopoly is good. Sure it would suck to have multiple softwares and launchers to run games, but at least it will ensure lower prices.

You don't know what a monopoly is

 

[Reinhardt]

Cuck indie developers literally murder people on twitter. Anything that helps them to get more money is bad and evil! They should be bullied and humiliated, not catered to.

 

[passerby]

Anything that breaks a monopoly is good. Sure it would suck to have multiple softwares and launchers to run games, but at least it will ensure lower prices.

It won't affect prices at all in the long run. Prices of an intelectual property with no replication cost are determined primarily by what consumers are willing to pay.

Stores competition may result in smaller cut acros all stores, that will statistically result in more profit per copy for publisher, not smaller price which is set by publisher to maximise revenue depending on what customers are wiling to pay.

 

[Roguey]

Valve is putting an end to free advertisement for Epic exclusives.

https://www.lowyat.net/2019/193548/valve-new-stipulation-to-steam-distribution-agreement/

A Reddit user has found that Valve has added a new item in the Steam Distribution Agreement. It’s a complicated couple of sentences, but it essentially means two things.

One is that if a developer or publisher has not made a Steam page for its upcoming game, then when it does it will have to release the game at the same time as on other platforms. The second is that if a game is already released, then developers and publishers can create a page for it no earlier 30 days before its release on Steam.

Normally, this document will never be seen by the public, as you have to sign up as a developer first. But it implies that Valve want to stop developers and publishers from using Steam just to advertise their game. Metro Exodus comes immediately to mind as an example, following its last minute announcement as an Epic exclusive.

 

[cosmicray]

So what happens when developer/publisher violates said agreement?

 

[Reinhardt]

So what happens when developer/publisher violates said agreement?

He will find information that could lead to arrest of Hillary Clinton.

 

[passerby]

Most probably just the Steam store page for the game will be taken down until publisher provides a copy of the game for distribution I guess.

 

[racofer]

Gaben will eat your whole family while you sleep.

 

[Ismaul]

So what happens when developer/publisher violates said agreement?

Can't they sue for breach of contract, claim that it made them lose money and try to gain compensation?

 

[Burning Bridges]

Another store entering...: https://venturebeat.com/2019/08/16/my-games-will-launch-global-game-store-in-q4/

With the standard 70/30 revenue split, huh. The Russian company behind Armored Warfare and Owlcat Games.

Great, now in addition to Chinese spyware we can also have Russian spyware.

 

[Grauken]

Steam making a move

 

[Cross]

I can't wait to see how Kotaku will spin this as an evil and anti-competitive move on Valve's part against the poor, downtrodden Epic store.

 

[passerby]

So what happens when developer/publisher violates said agreement?

Can't they sue for breach of contract, claim that it made them lose money and try to gain compensation?

To sue for compensation over not selling on their store steamtards, steamtards never change...

As I've said this change is to justify delisting store pages of games that are not available for sale on Steam, while they're released on the other stores, without having to explain themselves with pr statements.
It's of course perfectly reasonable and justified move. Ideally all reasonable devs will just take down their pages themselves within 30 days to comply with the ToS.

 

[Burning Bridges]

I would also like to know how Epic makes money with this shitty store and ridiculously inflated prices. With no communication for 12 months it's not even clear if the developers can even actively support their games after they release on Steam. I would not be surprised if some like the Sinking City devs close down shortly after 2020 (the Fortnite money does not last forever) and it comes out they sent off everyone long ago. What are they doing right now? I see no future for this kind of PR which cuts off communication for a whole year after release because the games dissappear to some shitty Chinese spyware shop. On Steam you at least knew the games were shit and need an update every 3 weeks, but you could at least take part and listen to the excuses of the developers. Now it's just in your face, the only thing that is perfectly working is our spyware.

 

[Swigen]

I liek how Steam lets you know when an item on your wishlist is on sale. Sony doesn’t do that. Also Sony doesn’t allow “gifts” so wtf is the PlayStation Store wishlist for?!?

 

[Modron]

I liek how Steam lets you know when an item on your wishlist is on sale. Sony doesn’t do that. Also Sony doesn’t allow “gifts” so wtf is the PlayStation Store wishlist for?!?

Wtf is the playstation even for to begin with?

 

[Swigen]

I liek how Steam lets you know when an item on your wishlist is on sale. Sony doesn’t do that. Also Sony doesn’t allow “gifts” so wtf is the PlayStation Store wishlist for?!?

Wtf is the playstation even for to begin with?

Gran Turismo.

 

[Ismaul]

So what happens when developer/publisher violates said agreement?

Can't they sue for breach of contract, claim that it made them lose money and try to gain compensation?

To sue for compensation over not selling on their store steamtards, steamtards never change...

If that's the contract. Not saying that they would, only that they could. Not even saying really, asking.

But I guess you can't read, questions marks are beyond your ability, and you're just trying to stir shit so that it goes your way. Kindly fuck off you cunt.

 

[passerby]

To even consider such a thing justified requires special kind of mindsed and to entertain the idea it would fly in court, special kind of naivete. You were asking and it was an answear, no they can't.
Corporation of Valve size have to thread lightly about such things in general, because various goverment regulators are just waiting to extort money from them over some bullshit unfair competition claim.

 

[Jezal_k23]

Steam offers lots of things that developers and publishers can, and do, take advantage of in order to market their game and improve user experience and communicate with them. If the game will be exclusive to another platform I don't see why they should use Steam features destined to games that are actually sold on Steam. That sounds really reasonable to me.

Besides Steam is just reacting to Epic playing dirty. They never showed any interest in enforcing this stuff before Epic started stealing games from them, and even then, they took this long to respond. It looks like they put a lot of thought into this before doing it. I'm having a hard time seeing Valve as a bad guy on this one.

 

[Grauken]

Steam offers lots of things that developers and publishers can, and do, take advantage of in order to market their game and improve user experience and communicate with them. If the game will be exclusive to another platform I don't see why they should use Steam features destined to games that are actually sold on Steam. That sounds really reasonable to me.

Besides Steam is just reacting to Epic playing dirty. They never showed any interest in enforcing this stuff before Epic started stealing games from them, and even then, they took this long to respond. It looks like they put a lot of thought into this before doing it. I'm having a hard time seeing Valve as a bad guy on this one.

Some indie devs complain that they need wishlists to make a decent income once they publish, and 30 days isn't enough to grow that wishlist, if they also want to make EA offering on something like itch.io

 

[Mustawd]

Some indie devs complain that they need wishlists to make a decent income once they publish, and 30 days isn't enough to grow that wishlist, if they also want to make EA offering on something like itch.io

I don’t get it. What’s this have to do with itch.io?

Also, a company makes moves to beat out its competitors. I’m shocked. Since when does Steam have any obligation to help out devs using other storefronts?

 

[Grauken]

Some indie devs complain that they need wishlists to make a decent income once they publish, and 30 days isn't enough to grow that wishlist, if they also want to make EA offering on something like itch.io

I don’t get it. What’s this have to do with itch.io?

Also, a company makes moves to beat out its competitors. I’m shocked. Since when does Steam have any obligation to help out devs using other storefronts?

I think what they want to do (or have done for some time) is open a steam page, offer EA version on itch.io to grow their wishlist in the EA period and then finally publish on Steam after a year or so, but the new Steam regulation technically prohibits that, despite being actually aimed at EGS, not small indie devs

Not that Steam had much of a choice, they can't just include regulation to hurt EGS, so it has to be broad, but I doubt they would go after small indie devs