this post was submitted on 01 May 2024
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Steam doesn't care if a developer uses multiple store fronts.
Epic does care about exclusivity.
I like to to use the platform that gives me the most choice.
Yep lot of focus is on Steam, but GOG has been affected by exclusivity deals too. If that is lifted than other launchers like GOG benefit too with Control being available for it too.
I'm still waiting for the Half Life games to be released on GOG. I wonder why it will never happen...?
Because the developer/publisher doesn't want to? You can't make them do it.
Exactly. Valve/Steam wants their title only on their own platform. As does Epic with their financed title. So I don't get that exclusivety thing. Everybody's doing it. Some more, some less, but they do. Oh wait, gog did publish their own titles on other platforms as well.
Most Favored Nation: you can list anywhere else as long as the price isn't lower then here
Vs
Exclusive: you can't list anywhere else
I know which I prefer.
For a good review of the MFN case: https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1044&context=sjteil
If you want to say nobody's allowed to have exclusivity deals, and nobody's allowed to set most favorite nation pricing, I'm all for that. Let's get that through the legislature
Let's say games can list on both epic and steam at the same price. Epic could take a smaller commission, and the developers could bundle extra content, features, DLC with the game on epic. There's a lot of room for innovation here
From a consumer protection point of view steam is saying you can't rip our customers off. I.e. guaranteed low pricing. Just like Costco
Haven't been affected by it. Got games like Nioh 2 and a bunch of other games during the last humble bundle choice for less than what Nioh 2 has gone on sale for by itself.
And games frequently see sales before launch and after launch at prices that Steam won't see for months from places like Fanatical. Isthereanydeals provides historical data on it tracking prices of games from launch across various stores.
Regardless of the wording it hasn't affected sales leading to most of my Steam games having been purchased outside of steam, and those sales are ones steam doesn't get a cut of on top of that. Only steam purchases I usually make are ones where the publisher either doesn't bother making keys, or it's the only way to get the steam version of the game, or the rare occasion the it is actually the historical low on steam.
Quite simple really. As a customer you know if you buy a game from this platform you're not getting ripped off with a higher price. Low price guarantee if you like
If I open a store, and I tell people I promise you this is the lowest price in the market. I'm not doing disservice to my customers.
I think I see where our disconnect is coming from. In none of the documentation I've read does Valve have any opinion about what the price is going to be. That is completely up to the publisher.