Market largely only wants Steam keys / to own games on Steam due to library lockin. Valve gets more library lockin with every game added to a user's library. Steam keys are the product as far as the market is concerned. They see the key as the product. Steam price IS the price.
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Replying to @Pkeod @PleaseCapcom and
No, Steam keys aren't the product, mate. The game is the product. Steam keys are an external authentication mechanism. However, you are right that Steam prices to hold influence over the market. Which brings me back to my suggestion that Epic should undercut Steam's prices.
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Replying to @Mortiel @PleaseCapcom and
In the view of the consumers they are. Getting a key = getting the game. If our games were on Epic I'd let them be perpetually 99cents just to try your theory out. But that still feels dirty somehow. And I know Valve would be unhappy about it.
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Replying to @Pkeod @PleaseCapcom and
No, consumers buy the game to buy the game. Not Steam keys. Also, as a consumer, I couldn't care less if Valve is unhappy. Epic is offering me cheaper games that are sold for higher elsewhere. I can choose to pay more on Steam or GOG, or pay less on Epic. But I get to *choose*.
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Replying to @Mortiel @PleaseCapcom and
When we sold direct, people only want to buy if they got a Steam key too. Doesn't that mean anything to you? And then when devs like us sell Steam keys bad actors buy up a bunch, sell them cheaper on grey markets, and then charge us back, and we get $ dinged on top of the refund.
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Replying to @Pkeod @PleaseCapcom and
You are conflating three arguments: Do consumers buy a game for the Steam key? No. Do consumers want your product on Steam? Yes. Are Steam keys good for developers? Wouldn't know. You do what is best for your business. I'll buy your product if it's valuable to me. Simple.
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Replying to @Mortiel @PleaseCapcom and
You are not being honest about what consumers actually think. To the general consumer, the Steam key is one and the same as the game. >I'll buy your product if it's valuable to me. Simple. Should anyone care about Valve's effective monopoly on PC game distribution?
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Replying to @Pkeod @PleaseCapcom and
Steam does not have a monopoly on PC games distribution. Monopoly has two criteria: 1. They fix prices. 2. They block competitors. Valve does neither of those things. Don't drink the Sweeney kool-aide here, mate. It will hurt your business long term. And Epic doesn't care.
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Steam certainly does block effective competition by locking down social features like friends so they only work in games launched by Steam. This ACTUALLY DIVIDES PC GAMERS unlike Epic’s store, which is just another icon.
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Replying to @TimSweeneyEpic @Mortiel and
This is the ultimate reason many die-hard Steam fans hate Epic’s store. They have massive amounts of data and social connections locked into Steam, which Steam blocks from working through other stores. It sucks for them, but the root problem is Steam, not Epic Games Store.
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And this brings us back to my original, on-topic point: Epic’s online services like friends and accounts are open to all platforms and all stores, so there is no walled garden, unlike Steam’s which are locked to Steam and locked to PC.
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Replying to @TimSweeneyEpic @Pkeod and
There's no walled garden... Except if I want to buy a game Epic has locked into exclusivity. Inconsistent argument, Tim.
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Replying to @Mortiel @TimSweeneyEpic and
That's a dishonest argument from you. Yes, locking away those cost saving features to only work on Steam version is very much a walled garden.
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Replying to @TimSweeneyEpic @Mortiel and
I can chat with my Steam friends on my phone using the Steam app.
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