Last year, they all came crawlin' back to Steam, and this year was another strong one for Valve.

From the opinion piece:

Last year, I pointed out how many big publishers came crawlin’ back to Steam after trying their own things: EA, Activision, Microsoft. This year, for the first time ever, two Blizzard games released on Steam: Overwatch and Diablo 4.

  • echo64@lemmy.worldEnglish
    444·
    11 months ago

    Steam sucked, really bad. For 8 years, maybe? Maybe more? It takes time to build something, but consumers demand everything immediately.

    • JimmyMcGill@lemmy.worldEnglish
      123·
      11 months ago

      I mean steam sucked for 8 years like 20 years ago. Technology wasn’t the same as it is. They revolutionized the pc gaming scene and I’d argue that even that Steam version was better than the current EGS version. Was it uglier? Yea maybe but it did the job. You could install, manage and launch your games, cloud saves and it wasn’t bloat or spyware. The Steam just kept getting better even if with a messy ui in some places. They do a ton of shit that generates them no direct profit but that makes using Steam a no brainer. And gamers respect and value that even if not all of them.

      Heck I’m sure that they very quickly came up with a functional shopping cart at the very least.

      • Rose@lemmy.worldEnglish
        35·
        11 months ago

        Heck I’m sure that they very quickly came up with a functional shopping cart at the very least.

        Steam has been offering third-party titles since 2005 but still had no shopping cart as of 2008.

        • wildgingerEnglish
          71·
          11 months ago

          … Because years later, steam got good.

          Epic started out shit, and then used their fortnite money to impro… No, wait, sorry, they used their fortnite money to buy exclusivity of games people had already preordered from other stores.

          Starting out shit and then slowly improving is one thing. Starting out shit and then kicking your customers in the teeth is completely different.

            • wildgingerEnglish
              72·
              11 months ago

              No, not exclusivity. Pointedly spending large amounts of money to take already purchased games away from people.

              Exclusivity isnt a new concept. Im still patiently waiting for the next horizon game to come to PC at all. Exclucivity isnt kicking your customers in the teeth.

              Wagging your fortnite cash in peoples faces by showing them you can take away what they already paid for is the kick in the teeth.

              And, more importantly, it showed me how they value me. They will spend extra money to directly inconvenience me in the hopes Im stupid enough to pay them for inconveniencing me. Bad launcher? Thats fine, blizzards launcher is dogshit and I played overwatch for years. Exclusivity again, fine. Ill wait if Im really going to be stubborn, and I wont if I really want the game.

              But going out of their way to antagonize other users of the competition, as if Im supposed to find that cute and rebuy what I already purchased at a store I already chose? Zero respect for your customers means you will do the same or worse to me even if I am stupid enough to pay you, if you think antagonizing me again will wiggle out more of my money.

              Fuck them forever, they cannot rebuild that trust. The only reason they havent done it again is because steam changed their tos. And they will do it to you as soon as they think theyve got a stable userbase

                • wildgingerEnglish
                  22·
                  11 months ago

                  You really are not listening. You are going off on old grudges that have literally nothing to do with what I am saying to you.

                  I get it. Steam kicked your childhood dog. That has nothing to do with epic buying a game out of peoples mouths.

        • JimmyMcGill@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          11 months ago

          Yea no

          People complain because the EGS launcher is shit and not getting better in any meaningful way. Plus all the anti consumer shit that they do.

          EGS didn’t come out last year. Heck GOG galaxy is fairly decent and it’s not even required and they have a fraction of the budget. And guess what a lot of people like and support them.

    • AnneBonny@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      41·
      11 months ago

      Origin is still bad and so is whatever Ubisoft’s launcher is called.

      edit: for the record I didn’t say that steam was the best launcher, but I have found the launchers for world of warships and warthunder to be serviceable

        • cottonmon@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          11 months ago

          It’s kind of funny. I feel that the rebranding was because those launchers sucked ( a common marketing tactic.) The thing is though, the EA App still sucks so it doesn’t do anything for its reputation.

    • JimmyMcGill@lemmy.worldEnglish
      33·
      11 months ago

      I mean steam sucked for 8 years like 20 years ago. Technology wasn’t the same as it is. They revolutionized the pc gaming scene and I’d argue that even that Steam version was better than the current EGS version. Was it uglier? Yea maybe but it did the job. You could install, manage and launch your games, cloud saves and it wasn’t bloat or spyware. The Steam just kept getting better even if with a messy ui in some places. They do a ton of shit that generates them no direct profit but that makes using Steam a no brainer. And gamers respect and value that even if not all of them.

      Heck I’m sure that they very quickly came up with a functional shopping cart at the very least.