Post by Lone Wanderer on Jan 30, 2019 15:11:27 GMT
Maybe it's more surprising that it took this long for Steam's nemesis to emerge.
No one has ever done this
In part by being the biggest, Valve has bagged a lot of customer loyalty, but developer and publisher loyalty is for the first time being seriously called into question. Deep Silver and 4A used Steam like a storefront window display and then split. That's cold, but Valve isn't faultless: its 30 percent on-store cut, surprise announcements, and 'anything goes' Steam Direct policy have seemingly fostered the perception that Steam is a utility—a thing to be used however is convenient. What relationship Deep Silver has with Valve I don't know exactly, but the bond wasn't stronger than Epic's offer. (To be fair, we don't know how much money Epic is throwing at these exclusives, and we hope to find that out to determine just how much a defection costs.)
Right now, all it means for us is a few more decisions: whether or not we enter our credit card information into another launcher, whether we play Metro Exodus this year or next. In the long term, though, we may remember 2019 as a turning point for PC gaming.
Right now, all it means for us is a few more decisions: whether or not we enter our credit card information into another launcher, whether we play Metro Exodus this year or next. In the long term, though, we may remember 2019 as a turning point for PC gaming.
Over a decade ago, Steam's digital distribution and auto-updating changed what was possible for games—and in doing so, it changed the kinds of games that were being made. Fast forward: DLC, microtransactions, Steamworks, Early Access, Steam Workshop, Steam Greenlight, Steam Direct, discoverability algorithms, wish lists, curators, and everything else that Steam was and is played a part in determining what we're playing today. Would there be a PC version of the Resident Evil 2 remake had Steam not been Steam? Would Euro Truck Simulator exist? We can't test the butterfly effect without a time machine, but it's no stretch to say that platforms matter. Even outside of Steam and away from the PC, the Xbox Live Arcade affected PC gaming by pushing certain indies into the mainstream spotlight. It's fitting that Super Meat Boy Forever, the sequel to one of those games, is an Epic Store exclusive.
What Epic and Steam do now—beyond crying 'no fair!'—will change the games of our future. As one consequence of Epic's onslaught so far, it teamed up with Improbable to put $25 million into transitioning SpatialOS games away from Unity, which can't mean nothing.
Although we bemoan some of the inconveniences of corporate giants fighting over the games we play, PC gaming has always been in a state of fragmentation and competitive flux. Maybe it's more surprising that it took this long for Steam's nemesis to emerge. In another timeline, it might've been Riot Games or Blizzard or CD Projekt—and it'd be wrong to count out any of those companies, even as Valve and Epic dominate the ring today.
At the moment, inconvenience is all this means for us. Steam isn't going down because of Metro Exodus or The Division 2. But there'll be ripples—no one has done this before!—and anything we thought was certain about the next five or so years in PC gaming is far hazier than it was yesterday. Steam changed everything once, and it feels a lot like we're on the verge of another metamorphosis.
Although we bemoan some of the inconveniences of corporate giants fighting over the games we play, PC gaming has always been in a state of fragmentation and competitive flux. Maybe it's more surprising that it took this long for Steam's nemesis to emerge. In another timeline, it might've been Riot Games or Blizzard or CD Projekt—and it'd be wrong to count out any of those companies, even as Valve and Epic dominate the ring today.
At the moment, inconvenience is all this means for us. Steam isn't going down because of Metro Exodus or The Division 2. But there'll be ripples—no one has done this before!—and anything we thought was certain about the next five or so years in PC gaming is far hazier than it was yesterday. Steam changed everything once, and it feels a lot like we're on the verge of another metamorphosis.
