More PC Games Are Skipping Steam For Epic's Store

Don't ever think this is about anything except that 30%. That's so high. It's amazing that digital retailers have gotten away with it as long as they have. Understand that Epic is still a wholly profit driven entity, and if they're not only happy with a 12% cut, but willing to pay for the privilege of getting that 12% in the first place, that means you can cover the overhead on a digital retailer with something closer to 2% or 3%.

"Epic also announced that Subnautica and Slime Rancher both exceeded 4.5 million downloads"

It's funny they boasted crappy games high volumes. Obviously the number is pretty much high since it's FREE. People like FREE stuff. Doesn't mean it translates into what makes a game a good game.

If this pushes Valve to announce Half-Life 3 in desperation, fine with it

This has zero effect on me, I only buy the cheapest platform.

Of course its underhanded. This isn't Atari era where they are hiring a developer to make a game for their specific platform. Epic doesn't *have* a *platform*, they have a launcher and not a great one.

What is happening here isn't an *exclusive* where a console maker helps fund a game that might not get funded otherwise so they have a exclusive for their platform. What is happening here is epic is *paying* developers to *not* release their product on Steam. Their not offering a better choice, their taking that choice away in an attempt to damage their competition. It's hugely uncompetitive.

How many years has Steam existed on PC for now and how many times has Valve paid off developers to stop them from releasing on GOG, or Origin, or Uplay?

Of course its underhanded. This isn't Atari era where they are hiring a developer to make a game for their specific platform. Epic doesn't *have* a *platform*, they have a launcher and not a great one.

What is happening here isn't an *exclusive* where a console maker helps fund a game that might not get funded otherwise so they have a exclusive for their platform. What is happening here is epic is *paying* developers to *not* release their product on Steam. Their not offering a better choice, their taking that choice away in an attempt to damage their competition. It's hugely uncompetitive.

How many years has Steam existed on PC for now and how many times has Valve paid off developers to stop them from releasing on GOG, or Origin, or Uplay?

well, it's a battle of all digital store for pc now.

Looks like Valve is going to have to pull out the big guns soon.

Half Life 3 and 4 confirmed!

I don't get why people think getting exclusives is being underhanded. It happens all the time in all industries, including console gaming. For a new platform like the one EPIC is trying to build, it is a perfectly legitimate way to sway people to try their storefront and platform. I also like they took a page from the console world and offer games for free, something that Steam doesn't do, unless the game itself is meant to be a "freemium" platform.

For those of us who have been in the gaming environment for a long time, this is not a new tactic. All the way back in the ATARI 2600 years, there were console exclusive games, delayed release for other platforms as well. Steam did the same thing with some of their own games, where they would force anyone buying their Half life or Orange Box games to have to install the Steam App, when that was not the norm, so you could play them.As far as the platform not being as elegant as Steam's, well duh... it is a new platform. Give it time. The original Steam GUI was horrendous and resource intensive. Heck, truth be told, unless you are playing on big screen mode, the GUI is already quite dated.

So what is Epic doing that is so darn different? They are paying the developers more and offering the consumer free games to boot, while forcing Steam to get off their butt and stop taking the consumer for granted. Oh the horror! True competition (unlike Origin, Uplay and GOG, which are marginal players) is a good thing in the long run.

now if only epoc would take the win of getting so many games for epic only and make the store they have a good store cuz it is just very bad and cuz of that i wont by a game on epic ever also this is showing us how greeding gaming has become they see an offer to get more money and they take a deal for it

I would be very surprised if that Metro claim was true, possibly close to true though. However, one thing it does show is that the people who are like Steam or no buy are in the very small vocal minority for a major game's release.

Personally one launcher is the same as the other for me. There are very few games I play that I care about the updates to and I have a fast enough internet that an update is only going to take a minute, 5-10 for some of the very large ones.

I wish this meant lower prices on games. But it just helps the developers make more money and the games remain the same price and we lose our preferred gaming distribution platform.

This would be good if they just added the games to the Epic store instead of stiffing all the Steam users.

AHAHHAHA guess I am getting these games for free!!!

I don't mind a little competition in the market, but this is just becoming underhanded. Epic is not enticing customers over to its store by being better than Steam, it is just simply waiving money infront of developers to get exclusivity. Obviously it works, as developers will take money no matter where it comes from, but it becomes clear that developers are more interested in money than customers. You would think they would want to get their games out to the largest market possible and keep customers coming back. Ie. be on all PC game platforms.

That list sounds as illustrious as the exciting movie selections on Crackle...

Competition is good. I close each loader/store app after each game anyhow -- always have.

Folks who believe their Personal Info and/or credit card data is at any elevated risk here need to close ALL their online shopping accounts. ...otherwise, start to realize that YOU are the product. One game store pales in comparison to Amazon+Visa.

...and if you still have a credit card that won't let you immediately cancel any charges and send you a new card next business day... You need to upgrade.

sony lost heavy rain, beyond and detroit exclusivity?, i think that is the heavy news

Neat, by the time I pick 'em up they'll already be ready to be discounted.

Well thats just another game I'll be skipping, it makes absolutely no difference to me.

Let the salt flow through you.

Wonder how long they'll stay alive? As long as Fortnite is doing well, so should they. But..

Remember what happened to another digital store: Stardock's Impulse. It was like Steam and worked relatively well until Stardock sold it to GameStop. GameStop kept it running for 2 or 3 years, then they shut it down. I got to keep a few games I bought there, but support, patching, and everything else was dead. It also means I have no way to re-download those games.

Steam is too big to fail. Epic is not.

Less games for me to buy then

But did you know that Epic Games Store tracks and steals your data?

https://www.reddit.com/r/PhoenixPoint/comments/b0rxdq/epic_game_store_spyware_tracking_and_you/

Sorry Epic but you're still not getting my credit card. All are timed exclusives, and I am glad to wait. You'd have to be a damned fool to trust a company with an F rating at the Better Business Bureau, who's software knowingly spies on and attaches itself to your Steam account without asking, allows over 9 million Epic Game accounts to be hacked in 2018, and is more than likely attached to the Chinese Government in some way- that's Epic Games, and its store.

"Even More PC Games Are Skipping Steam For Epic's Store" you guys are getting so misleading its actually starting to get quite annoying. You click this expecting to see a video showing which games, and instead youre met with a 20min hypegie to one game only. So why was the misleading video put there in the first place? Oh yeah, cause no one wouldve clicked otherwise... GOOD JOB Steve Watts!!!

I purchased Metro Exodus on the Epic Store and I have no regrets. I personally don't care through what storefront it's released, as long as I can get my games.

No Steam, no GOG, no sale, no exceptions. If I can walk away from Metro Exodus, I can walk away from anything and if these are permanent exclusives instead of one year waits, then I'll get the game by other means.

I wonder if Annapurna is bringing the Quantic Dreams games over, as it also published the mobile and PC ports of the Sony-published "Journey."