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They "broke it"?
I mean sure nobody likes capitalism here but have they actually tried making a better product?
Uh-oh an economic discussion in a gaming Forum?
This will be very informed and up to economic standards in the field 😂
It's just as much that epic shit the bed when they first introduced their launcher/store by very clearly taking the "shitty capitalism" path that tries to compete by killing off competition with exclusivity deals and later throwing money at players with free games. Not to mention not even trying to compete on some of the things that gives steam more value to many users.
It was clear they were trying to do to video games what uber and abnb tried to do to taxis and hotels and use venture capital money to undercut the existing market with the intent of being able to set whatever price later when their competition died off but were even less successful than the other two corps, who still managed to become big players in their market even if they didn't kill off the competition.
For me personally, not only am I uninterested in epic's store, but I don't wasn't to see them succeed. Even if they started doing the good things, I wouldn't trust that they'd keep it up if they managed to get to steam's market position. They showed their cards too soon with trying to open up with exclusives.
skill issue
BS. Steam offers games simply without the bull. They didn't break capitalism, they just didn't enshitten their platform.
Or maybe they broke capitalism in the sense that they are showing that the shit they teach MBAs isn't the only or even the best path to profit and if enough people adopt (or return to) that way of doing business, they can dominate their markets and compete directly with the venture capital class that tries to compete with its financial weight more than whatever products or services it is currently peddling.
I mean, this part is so obvious to me right now. With all the complete shit products out there that have so many anti-features that I often just stop looking for things rather than get enticed by the good features, I think that competitors that come in with the intent of making good quality shit people want (where "good" can even just mean "doesn't try to spy on you") could similarly dominate their markets. And if people don't chase empires to become billionaires, I think there's a lot of room in all markets even when certain players come to dominate their local area (considering physical markets more than digital ones, since they scale very differently, though I do think that some thought could be put in to how to do this for digital markets, too... Maybe some drastic changes to IP laws).
The volume of Valve glazing I see on the internet has me worried. They could enshittify dramatically tomorrow, and I think they would still have positive sentiment.
People trust them. Trusting a corporation is a recipe for monopoly, pretty much without exception, historically.
And Steam is the only storefront for so, so many games. For all of Sweeny’s toxicity, I honestly didn’t feel that particular outrage against EGS, as I was already concerned by how many games are Steam-only.
They have positive sentiment because they haven't enshittified much, in an industry that has embraced shit maximalism as a policy.
People would complain if they got worse. There would be people saying "at least they arent microsoft", but they would still be held to higher standards than other companies. The fact they are more or less meeting those standards is impressive.
Also, steam integration is pretty un-invasive on the developer's side. If steam went tits-up, everybody would just re-release elsewhere.
We know they will, but it's probably not today.
Gabe will die, directives will change, Valve will slip. But probably not today.
Steam can, and will be replaced. Kiaran Ritchie is a silly boy.
We've tried nothing and we're out of ideas.
What do you mean? They tried the most capitalist of solutions, buying themselves into the space free games and exclusivity! It's a shame it takes a bit more than just being able to click "play" (and not even that in Linux) to have a shop front people want to use.
Steam has problems, Epic games could fix that. They choose to whine about it on social media instead.
They could, but they won't.
The major way they broke capitalism was by not going public. Gabe has to answer to nobody, so the usual gang of corporate fucking idiots can't force him to do short sighted shit to make a short term squeeze at the cost of long term viability.
This is the key. It's the WHOLE thing. A runaway cap table destroys companies, always. Investors have different exit horizons and they are fundamentally incompatible with long term viability.
All you need to do to compete with a publicly owned company is capitalism is wait for their investors to get too greedy.
I've been screaming this exact sentiment into the void for a long time, so it's nice to see someone else who understands.
The main reason companies are getting so shitty right now isn't a blanket "capitalism bad". Companies need to have a clear goal that they pursue with a coherent vision, and that is impossible when you auction away control of the driver's seat to a comittee of random people with varying interests.
On the one hand, they're not really competing on features right now.
On the other hand, I have heard (more times than I can count or remember), that Steam users will never use another launcher for any reason ever.
So they kind of have a point. If they invest hundreds of millions or billions into features, would Steam users really use the Epic launcher? I don't think so.
I'd be fine using a different launcher. Just not theirs.
Epic has done so much to breed ill will with gamers. If they wanted to be disruptors they should have just followed the typical tactics. Come in with a decent or even good service that is cheaper or more user friendly than the competition, be extremely consumer focused with customer support and decisions, get enough market share to have a solid user base, then start tightening the strings so they can turn a profit.
Instead, they said 'fuck gamers', spent years bribing developers for exclusives, offered fuck-all in terms of features that people want, had very strict customer service, and then proceeded to tell everyone that they're wrong for preferring the other guy.
I mean, Steam isn't even my preferred storefront, despite being where I buy most of my games. I actually prefer GoG when it's an option.
they released a new video codec for steamlink vr streaming not too long ago, and are adding achievement categories
He is saying Epic isn't releasing new features right now (because it doesnt help against steam)
Epic announced that fartknife was coming to Linux less than a month ago
Their new launcher supposedly runs on Linux, but their FAQ tells you that most games will need a compatibility layer and doesn't mention a built in one.
At the same time they are rebuilding Easy Anti Cheat (EAC) to run on Linux, something that was possible with Steams Proton for years alreadyif developers enable it.
All they are doing is bringing their main cashcow to as many people as possible, while trying tobe as invasiv as possible with the new EAC. Nothing about this is really customer friendly.
When Gabe passes one day and the next owner is some business dimwit and makes steam really win capitalism, pretty sure we'll jump to GoG. That's my headcanon at least. Because that's what always happens to private companies when the person who cares about the thing no longer leads the company.
How?
I try to buy GoG over Steam, at any price, but the vast majority of the time the game I want is only on Steam, or Steam/1st party launcher.
They’ve got the whole market.
Gabe doesn't even work at valve anymore. He passed the torch long ago. Please don't keep repeating this.
Really who runs it?
A collective of knives and boats.
No I don’t want to lose my library 😭
Is GoG immune?
For a while, maybe? It's very tempting to sell out, and most people succumb.
Not entirely, but they're focused on delivering DRM free copies for your purchases. So if they were to pivot and revoke your library, that part is impossible if you've downloaded your DRM free installation files.
Do you keep an up to date copy of all your games installers?
I have some games on GoG. But when I wanted to install games, I got their launcher installer. You need to go through some dark path to find the true installer. At least it was the case a couple years back.
Also a few month ago they putted an announce to hire someone to lead the Galaxy launcher. They explicitly asked for someone that would push the use of AI in their team.
I fear the moment they gain enough traction, the game won't be as easy to install DRM free. Their launcher will be the DRM, just like steam.
So yeah, they provide an escape hatch for now, but sadly other than that it looks to me they are more like Epic than Valve. I have not much trust for them.
(Maybe Humble Bundle stopping to provide DRM free download of the game + the steam key eaeliy on made me very skeptical of this?)
Steam still have a lot of issues, so there's some opportunities still. If Epic truly managed to provide what Steam does while taking less from the devs, I would guarantee you that more people would go to the EGS, and even make memes about EGS taking less from devs. But with nonexistent social features and AI slop unlabeled, people will not want to touch it with a ten foot pole.
Hell, even if they just let people avoid AI slop easier than on Steam would at least win over a few people. But from what Epic is doing with its other tools, it seems like they're trying to force as many devs to be "AI first" as possible.
As a dev, I wouldn't lie that Epic taking lower cuts sounds nice. But if it comes with the costs of their game launcher coming with Chinese spyware and being horribly vibe-coded, a chronic inability to dodge AI slop, then I don't even want to touch it with a 10 foot pole. Maybe I won't even release my games there.
Yeah, and their unknowable secret sauce to win capitalism was to not overdo it and enshittify. Wild stuff. Who could tell that keeping your userbase happy is more productive in the long term than chasing "growth" at every turn?
Give it a generation or three, but yes.
Companies that "haven't gone evil" yet are like dynasties that aren't ruled by a mad king, yet.
It usually comes after the original founder leaves or dies.
Fixable? Whats broken?
Why do people even give clicks to this bullshit.
People were saying the same thing about Netflix, then netflix went to shit and look at that alternatives popped up.
And don't forget Microsoft was the goliath that steam managed to take on.
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Jesus Christ I've seen so many posts about epic or it's out of touch CEO fucking straight up whining about Valves success. How about using the powers of publicly held capitalism and making a product that's worthwhile? You can't. Take your loss and shut the fuck up already. Yes I fully realize I'm not talking to them. Just needed to vent because this shit that passes for news these days is just fucking garbage.
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this post was submitted on 03 Nov 2026
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