Some interesting industry news for you here. Epic Games have announced a change to the revenue model of the Epic Games Store, as they try to pull in more developers and more gamers to actually purchase things.
You sorta figured out competition in marketplaces.
Hey, I’m a social democrat. I’m all for intervening in markets, but for commodity entertainment products competition works pretty well, as you just explained.
but no, steam has maintained its 30% cut since its inception do you know the rate publishers like EA demand? 50%. EA is just pissed valve is a better and more reasonable publisher than they are.
so long as EA and other publishers exist and are taking a bigger cut than valve. I’m happy to give valve a pass atm at the better option.
the issue at hand atm is gamers won’t tolerate price increases and inflation has cut into the original profit margin. and so publishers are running around screaming about valve’s 30% cut when they demand a larger cut.
No, you absolutely are. Publishers will typically pay for retail manufacturing costs (so printing, boxing and shipping), but that’s not the same as digital distribution. Digital distribution doesn’t map to shipping game boxes, it maps to retail.
Which is why games on Steam have deals with publishers, NOT with Valve.
No, I’m not. you’re assuming i am. game developers dont generally have the relationships with distributors. the whole point of a publisher is to handle that relationship + the relationship with marketing avenues.
with digital distribution the role of a publisher is greatly reduced. mostly down to just marketing.
Not even a little bit. Man, you sure like to keep digging when given a shovel, huh?
Look, I’m not here to write a textbook on game publishing, but I do recommend you take that shovel and go dig up some accurate information in the off-chance you’re not just posting whatever autocorrect feeds you as the first word choice.
You go write that text book. Let me know when you publish your first game, you clearly have it all figured out! You know… minus the basics.
Your problem is you’re antivalve for reasons no one really gives a shit about. Your issues with valve are not the %age it charges for sales on its steam store, but with moral positions you have personally and it colors your viewpoints.
Facts: valve has charged a 30% commission since it made steam available for other studios to use.
Fact: no one complained for literally 15 years.
Fact: complaints about the split start after two things occurred. Massive inflation cutting into margins and steam dominating the distribution of games.
You’re arguments to date have been:
Gabe/valve are bad people because they’re a monopoly! Here are issues from over a decade that are no longer even relevant.
Like if you want to argue that the percentage valve takes is too high, then sure we can discuss that. And hey, you wont even hear a peep from me in that case. Because its true imo.
But the problem is GOG also takes 30%. And every other distributor has reputational issues that make them non-starters.
unless you have a valid and active issue with valves practices that are unique to valve maybe its time to take the L, fuck off on this topic, and get a clue? Because no one is defending valve because they’re valve. We’re defending them because they’re the best company in the market for consumers.
Epic only does it because they know they’re the underdog. If that were to one day become untrue they would never do anything like this again.
I mean, yeah.
You sorta figured out competition in marketplaces.
Hey, I’m a social democrat. I’m all for intervening in markets, but for commodity entertainment products competition works pretty well, as you just explained.
but no, steam has maintained its 30% cut since its inception do you know the rate publishers like EA demand? 50%. EA is just pissed valve is a better and more reasonable publisher than they are.
so long as EA and other publishers exist and are taking a bigger cut than valve. I’m happy to give valve a pass atm at the better option.
the issue at hand atm is gamers won’t tolerate price increases and inflation has cut into the original profit margin. and so publishers are running around screaming about valve’s 30% cut when they demand a larger cut.
You are mistaking publishing for distribution.
Publishing is not distribution.
smile the whole point of publishers back in the day before the internet was distribution and marketing. no I am not mistaking one for the other.
No, you absolutely are. Publishers will typically pay for retail manufacturing costs (so printing, boxing and shipping), but that’s not the same as digital distribution. Digital distribution doesn’t map to shipping game boxes, it maps to retail.
Which is why games on Steam have deals with publishers, NOT with Valve.
No, I’m not. you’re assuming i am. game developers dont generally have the relationships with distributors. the whole point of a publisher is to handle that relationship + the relationship with marketing avenues.
with digital distribution the role of a publisher is greatly reduced. mostly down to just marketing.
Not even a little bit. Man, you sure like to keep digging when given a shovel, huh?
Look, I’m not here to write a textbook on game publishing, but I do recommend you take that shovel and go dig up some accurate information in the off-chance you’re not just posting whatever autocorrect feeds you as the first word choice.
You go write that text book. Let me know when you publish your first game, you clearly have it all figured out! You know… minus the basics.
Your problem is you’re antivalve for reasons no one really gives a shit about. Your issues with valve are not the %age it charges for sales on its steam store, but with moral positions you have personally and it colors your viewpoints.
Facts: valve has charged a 30% commission since it made steam available for other studios to use.
Fact: no one complained for literally 15 years.
Fact: complaints about the split start after two things occurred. Massive inflation cutting into margins and steam dominating the distribution of games.
You’re arguments to date have been: Gabe/valve are bad people because they’re a monopoly! Here are issues from over a decade that are no longer even relevant.
Like if you want to argue that the percentage valve takes is too high, then sure we can discuss that. And hey, you wont even hear a peep from me in that case. Because its true imo.
But the problem is GOG also takes 30%. And every other distributor has reputational issues that make them non-starters.
unless you have a valid and active issue with valves practices that are unique to valve maybe its time to take the L, fuck off on this topic, and get a clue? Because no one is defending valve because they’re valve. We’re defending them because they’re the best company in the market for consumers.
And steam doesn’t do it at all.
One approach is objectively better for the little guys than the other.
I’m a littler guy than any game company, Epic treats me like shit. So I’m not going to use Epic.
Sure, I’m just saying Epic is not any better than Valve in that regard. They’re just in a different position.