• REDACTED@infosec.pub
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    2 days ago

    Instead of just, I don’t know, release a competitor

    And now we’ve gone full circle and came back to Valve anti-trust practices, the ongoing lawsuits and their status of near monopoly. Like, you literally cannot do that if you want to sell your games on steam too.

    • Bratosch@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      if you want to sell on Steam too

      Yeah, if you want to sell on THEIR platform then follow THEIR rules. Like wtf?

      Like a said in another reply, Steam has a “monopoly” because 1. Players choose it, and 2. Publishers keep selling there.

      If you can’t sell your game solely on your own platform, then maybe there’s a problem with YOUR PRODUCT.

      • REDACTED@infosec.pub
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        1 day ago

        Yeah, if you want to sell on THEIR platform then follow THEIR rules. Like wtf?

        I don’t think I’m capable of convincing you that this is anti-trust competition practice enabled by near monopoly, which is bad. You would not get such stupid rules from Epic or GoG.

        I guess the only thing I can say is that be glad that current CEO of valve isn’t as bad as other CEOs, but it won’t stay like that and it feels like we’re slowly creating a monster. All corporations, without exclusions, should be kept in check

        • Bratosch@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          1 day ago

          I agree there, we probably wouldn’t get those rules from GoG. But if you even for a second think Epic would not impose 30%+ fee if they had Steams market share, well, I don’t know what to tell you. Steam enforces No Advertising in games and taking active steps in forcing developers to actually optimize their games. In no universe would EA, Ubisoft, Rockstar, Epic or any other so the same. We’d have commercial breaks in our 2fps games years ago.

          • REDACTED@infosec.pub
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 day ago

            But if you even for a second think Epic would not impose 30%+ fee if they had Steams market share

            Don’t you see how you’re accidentally proving my point here?

            • Bratosch@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              1 day ago

              I see how you think I am.

              I’m saying that having a clear winner in an open market is not the same as them having a monopoly. Assassin’s Creed games releases on both Steam and Uplay. Same price. Same game. Same everything. Why do people still choose Steam? It’s not because they are forced to. They have the option to simply not buy it on Steam. That is why I don’t think Steam is liable.

              Ubisoft wants so sell cheaper on Uplay to pull traffic there. Why not just simply dump Steam and ONLY sell on their platform? I’d really like you to answer this question.

              • REDACTED@infosec.pub
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                edit-2
                1 day ago

                Ubisoft wants so sell cheaper on Uplay to pull traffic there. Why not just simply dump Steam and ONLY sell on their platform? I’d really like you to answer this question.

                Steam has major market share and it’s not a good business decision to ignore that, so publishers are forced to submit to Valve’s rules, unless they’re ready to take the loss.

                In a fair world, all these publishers would likely sell cheaper on their own platforms, which is good for you, the customer, but that won’t happen with Valve setting rules, and so there is no reason for customers to make a switch, and so other platforms can’t compete.

                Epic gained some traction by giving away free games, but that’s basically the best they can do.

                Ask yourself - how can any other company be competitive in the current environment? How would you even go about building your own platform when the very basic thing (pricing) is basically regulated by the big guys?

                • Bratosch@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  1 day ago

                  Listen. Steam is free. Uplay is free. Epic is free. EA App is free. It’s not like Playstation vs Xbox, where the market is divided because of financial limitations on the consumers. What stops anyone from using any other launcher? What stops any publisher from not selling through Steam? “market share” is not really a valid argument when all options are free and easily available to everyone. Monopoly means lack of alternatives.

                  Right now the option is buying a game for $70 on either Steam or EA App, for example. People choose Steam.

                  Nothing is stopping EA from saying you know what, we’ll sell it only on our own page but for $60. Nothing. People who want to play a game would most likely just buy it there then.

                  My view is that these lawsuits etc are purely a way for the failed competitors to force their way in while still providing the same absolute garbage of a service.

                  • REDACTED@infosec.pub
                    link
                    fedilink
                    English
                    arrow-up
                    1
                    ·
                    1 day ago

                    This is not what I’m talking about. I agree with you, and anyone can choose whichever platform they want.

                    The discussion is about how Valve Corporation uses it’s status for anti-trust practices which is a major blockade for other companies to compete with steam.

                    Like I said, as long as this keeps happening, others can hardly compete and gamers don’t have a reason to use other platforms.