Epic Games Store - the console war comes to PC

[Cromwell]

Different reasons, same outcome. This isn't rocket science you cucks.

I tried to come up with some examples or something witty to say but if you believe that circumstances really dont matter you are just an idiot.

 

[Steamboat Willie]

keeping the metaphor: epic is not uber, epic is buying out every uber driver it can find and forcing you to reach to those drivers it stashed hidden somewhere in the asshole of the world. of course the extra mileage is on you.

It's like if Lyft moved in and decided to "compete" with Uber by paying popular destinations to only allow Lyft drivers to drop people off at their property. This type of competition can only be a good thing for customers because I have been programmed to repeat this.

 

[normie]

competition
good

steam
bad

 

[passerby]

Oh yes, I totally remember the mass of people complaining that MineCraft, Dwarf Fortress, StarCraft II, League of Legends or any number of games like all of the MMOs that came with their own Launchers or the ones GOG dug out of history "were not on Steam". That's totally a thing that happened. I still remember the bloody riots that went off when people found out developers were selling games on their own websites, which Steam doesn't explicitly endorse and totally forbids.

Except this is exactly a thing that happened.
In fact overwhelming majority of people prefer Steam key to a drm free copy, this is why humble bundle had to quickly abandon drm free and start to sell Steam keys and this is why GOG's market share is 5% of rpg/adventure and like 2% in other genres.

There is also no fundamental difference between Starcraft II being Battle net exclusive, or EA games being Origin exclusives and Epic exclusives. It's just that these smaller publishers/devs have no resources to start their own platform.
Neither their franchises are strong enough to make almost everyone interested to purchase them even without Steam. This is why Epic has to offset risk caused by abandoning Steam for anyone to jump the shark.
Ultimately both the reasons to go Epic exclusive and user experience are exactly the same as with battle.net and Origin.

If Steam cut wasn't the same as physical retail, but 10% smaller there would be no Origin, Uplay, or Epic Store today, because potential gains would be so small, that investing in creation and promotion of these platforms couldn't be financially justified.

 

[Mustawd]

6. They don’t let the driver know where the ride will be ending. Drivers hate this, but it’s an important part of why the experience has improved for consumers.

Sorry for offtopic, but could you elaborate? How does it work with driver not knowing and why is it important?

Taxis make their money off fares based on the distance traveled. Before Uber and Lyft, you would call a Taxi service, they would in turn try to assign your trip to one of the drivers, who are independent contractors and not employees.

However, if you were going a short distance many drivers would refuse to accept the call because to them it’s not worth the trip to come pick you up. Or they might feel there’s an opportunity cost that they could be getting other rides while en route to pick you up.

And economically for each individual driver this makes sense. However, that creates a whole slew of possible trips that no driver would ever accept or rarely accept. If I don’t have a car and the grocery store is two miles away there is a distinct possibility that I either have to make multiple trips carrying groceries (killing half a day if my time in the process) or I have to lie about where I’m going to get a ride (which will make it harder to get a ride next time).

What Uber has done is to basically say: We run a ride service, period. Sure drivers can cancel when they get to a destination and find out what the route is, but Uber will start docking cancellations against the driver. So it creates an expectation that as a driver you will pick up a rider and take them to a destination no matter how short the ride is. Also, Uber has made it worth it to the more regular drivers by giving them incentives by the number of trips in a week or a month.

Still, the mechanic of not knowing what the route will be as an Uber driver is a very positive thing for the consumer.

Let me put it another way. Imagine if servers at restaurants were independent contractors, similar to how Uber and Taxi services work. Also let’s imagine you don’t have a lot of money but you still want to order an appetizer and some water and sit down at the restaurant to relax and talk to a friend.

If upon entering the restaurant you were required to say how much you wanted to spend, it’d be harder to find waiters that would accept to serve you because for them they’d be better off waiting for a larger table or a bigger spender.

 

[cosmicray]

Thanks for an answer. I already searched for specifics, but I was under the impression that driver wouldn't know where you'd be stopping until reaching the end destination. Like "Bam, I'll be getting off here". Obviously, it's not like that. And I agree it's a better system.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Funny enough, many taxi companies are now using their political muscle to try and ban or limit how much Uber can expand in s given city or country. So in this case they are limiting consumer choice just like Epic is now doing with their store.

There's nothing funny about this, at least in my neck of the woods.

Taxi companies and taxi drivers have legal obligations, they must pass safety inspections and comply with personal data security laws, pass background checks and to an extent are held accountable for what happens in the taxi. Last time I checked, Über drivers don't need to worry about any of this.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Remember the good old days when installers were animated and came with FMV and backstory?

Installers? All i remember is carrying pack of floppy disks.

THIS.

Animated installers? Backstory? What crazy futuristic world are you from?

Back in my day I was lucky if I got an image to look at, and on really good days the game played a tune or let me play Space Invaders while it was loading!

 

[Infinitron]

I wonder how much backlash Epic could have prevented with this one simple fix: Any developer who signs up for exclusivity with them would be encouraged to distribute free Steam keys to owners of their game - but only at the end of the exclusivity period.

How much of the anti-Epic anger is because people get annoyed by thinking about how if they do buy a game on the Epic Games Store, they'd want to have it on Steam a year later and have to pay again?

 

[Berekän]

Valve would've been delighted

 

[Mustawd]

Taxi companies and taxi drivers have legal obligations, they must pass safety inspections and comply with personal data security laws, pass background checks and to an extent are held accountable for what happens in the taxi. Last time I checked, Über drivers don't need to worry about any of this.

My comment was moreso from a standpoint in the united states, specifically NYC, where they have flimsy excuses for limiting uber, when the reality is that the taxi companies are losing money hand over fist and are bitching to politicians about it.

Also, uber drivers must pass a background check, have vehicle insurance, and updated registration for the vehicle, which requires a vehicle inspection, and the vehicle can only be a certain amount of years old.

Yes, Uber can do a better job with screening, but my main point is that it’s causing disruption to the taxi industry because it is addressing the needs of consumers in ways taxi companies never did.

 

[fantadomat]

I wonder how much backlash Epic could have prevented with this one simple fix: Any developer who signs up for exclusivity with them would be encouraged to distribute free Steam keys to owners of their game - but only at the end of the exclusivity period.

How much of the anti-Epic anger is because people get annoyed by thinking about how if they do buy a game on the Epic Games Store, they'd want to have it on Steam a year later and have to pay again?

What,how,when? A jew promoting things to be given away......for free........

 

[Ismaul]

I wonder how much backlash Epic could have prevented with this one simple fix: Any developer who signs up for exclusivity with them would be encouraged to distribute free Steam keys to owners of their game - but only at the end of the exclusivity period.

First, do you think it's Epic's call to do that? And would they want to become the "exclusives store" that everyone ditches when the game goes on Steam with all its superior features?

Also, do you think Steam would be willing to do that? Steam would provide a whole slew of services, downloads, forums, etc., and yet get none of that first year release money for a bunch of exclusive games? That would make them Epic's bitch, especially if Epic grows big. Steam giving free keys to Epic would only help Epic and legitimize their business model.

 

[DalekFlay]

I tried to come up with some examples or something witty to say but if you believe that circumstances really dont matter you are just an idiot.

It's not that the circumstances don't matter really. I agree Valve did it a better way and "earned" those exclusives. It's just that at the end of the day if your wife is getting fucked by another dude it doesn't matter whether he wooed her or paid her, she's still getting fucked. I still have to deal with DRM client I don't want, forced on me with almost every game with a budget higher than 12 potatoes. Whether the "nice guys" are doing it or the big spenders are is pretty irrelevant to my user experience.

 

[Echo Mirage]

I wonder how much backlash Epic could have prevented with this one simple fix: Any developer who signs up for exclusivity with them would be encouraged to distribute free Steam keys to owners of their game - but only at the end of the exclusivity period.

How much of the anti-Epic anger is because people get annoyed by thinking about how if they do buy a game on the Epic Games Store, they'd want to have it on Steam a year later and have to pay again?

A more simple solution would have been for Steam to have publishers sign a contract that would state that if they have submitted their game to steam and valve has advertised it as either coming to steam or is up for pre order then the publisher cannot pull the game for steam, but retains the right to sell their game on other platforms. Something the publisher could use to undercut the asking price on steam but not piss people off with a bait and switch like we have been seeing for almost ever big release this year.

 

[Metro]

I wonder how much backlash Epic could have prevented with this one simple fix: Any developer who signs up for exclusivity with them would be encouraged to distribute free Steam keys to owners of their game - but only at the end of the exclusivity period.

How much of the anti-Epic anger is because people get annoyed by thinking about how if they do buy a game on the Epic Games Store, they'd want to have it on Steam a year later and have to pay again?

Here's what they could have done:

Steam lists game for $60.

Epic lists games for $50. Developers still make more based on larger cut. But it's not about 'competition,' it's about douche bag developers and publishers using consumers as leverage to get an even bigger cut.

 

[Ismaul]

A more simple solution would have been for Steam to have publishers sign a contract that would state that if they have submitted their game to steam and valve has advertised it as either coming to steam or is up for pre order then the publisher cannot pull the game for steam, but retains the right to sell their game on other platforms.

Gotta admit that not having this clause in a contract only helped to show how shitty Epic and some devs are and how much they don't care about customers. Right now losing those games has even been good press for Steam.

Such a clause wasn't needed before and might still not be now, but we'll see how or if Steam does something in reaction.

 

[fantadomat]

A more simple solution would have been for Steam to have publishers sign a contract that would state that if they have submitted their game to steam and valve has advertised it as either coming to steam or is up for pre order then the publisher cannot pull the game for steam, but retains the right to sell their game on other platforms.

Gotta admit that not having this clause in a contract only helped to show how shitty Epic and some devs are and how much they don't care about customers. Right now losing those games has even been good press for Steam.

Such a clause wasn't needed before and might still not be now, but we'll see how or if Steam does something in reaction.

I was surprised how Paradox stood by their partners. There is no way a swede could have taken that decision.

 

[Belegarsson]

A more simple solution would have been for Steam to have publishers sign a contract that would state that if they have submitted their game to steam and valve has advertised it as either coming to steam or is up for pre order then the publisher cannot pull the game for steam, but retains the right to sell their game on other platforms.

Gotta admit that not having this clause in a contract only helped to show how shitty Epic and some devs are and how much they don't care about customers. Right now losing those games has even been good press for Steam.

Such a clause wasn't needed before and might still not be now, but we'll see how or if Steam does something in reaction.

I was surprised how Paradox stood by their partners. There is no way a swede could have taken that decision.

Wait until Epic store has proper DLC support

 

[passerby]

Here's what they could have done: Steam lists game for $60. Epic lists games for $50. Developers still make more based on larger cut.

I was thinking the same when Metro Exodus debacle started, but then I witnessed steamtards kneejerk and realised my own strong preference to keep library on Steam if possible. I see now that Epic really had no choice. They either had to pay for exclusives, or don't bother at all:
1) If they just sold 15% cheaper, there would be no incentive for publishers to care, since you can't just increase the price on Steam over the current standard, this is not how maximising sales revenue works.
2) 98% of gamers would still buy only on Steam: either pay more, or buy a key from reseller, or got butthurt and wait for a sale.

I also think, they've made a huge mistake by announcing exclusives as timed, they could always release on Steam after a year if Epic turned out to be a failure, without announcing it in advance.
When it is known it's timed, a lot of people who would eventually buy on Epic full price if they weren't given a choice, will instead wait for a super duper complete edition on 25-50% off Steam sale.

But it's not about 'competition,' it's about douche bag developers and publishers using consumers as leverage to get an even bigger cut.

People who run a bussiness want to maximise profit, by reducing middle man cut, companies that actually create the product *want an even bigger cut*! Imagine that What a douche bags !!

 

[GrainWetski]

Clearly Epic couldn't have done anything different at all. What a perfect company run by a perfect man oppressed and assaulted by "steamtards"

 

[Reinhardt]

Why stupid gaymers don't just listen to smart people who want them all dead?

 

[passerby]

It's not about who is a cool guy and which platform is better. It's about a simple reality that Steam is great, close to perfect really and almost everyone have already most of their games there.
So, from the game producing/publishing company point of view the only way to try fighting back for a part of its 20-30% digital PC game sales revenue, is to give gamers no choice to buy on Steam.

The only other possibilities are game industry simply accepting that Steam is entitled to 25% of digital sales revenue forever, or Steam reducing their cut to remove incentive for seeking alternative platforms.
For the record, I don't want Epic to dominate the market, I want it to pressure Steam into cut reduction and then fall into obscurity. Neither is going to happen though.

 

[Reinhardt]

So, from the game producing/publishing company the only way to try fighting back for a part of its 20-30% digital PC game sales revenue, is to give gamers no choice to buy on Steam.

Yeah, especially if they want that cut RIGHT NOW!!1
Like games, big business should include easy mode for people who don't want to work, improve and satisfy fucking entitled customers. Why we can't just skip to dem dolla bills? Stop ableism!

 

[PrettyDeadman]

Stupid goymers!