Epic Games could popularise Exclusivity deals in the PC ecosystem

[Humbug]

The curse of backroom paid exclusivity deals is something that has been a blight on the world of consoles for many generation with companies like Microsoft and Sony competing to see how much money they can thrown around to keep developers off competing platforms, either for a period of time or sometimes even permanently. It's a losing situation for consumers with games not being available on the platforms we want and developers becoming reliant on the platform gate keepers rather than on selling as many copies as possible across multiple channels.

 

Speaking to PC gamer Tim Sweeney made the following comments

"These exclusives don’t come to stores for free; they’re a result of some combination of marketing commitments, development funding, or revenue guarantees. This all helps developers."

https://www.pcgamer.com/amp/epics-tim-sweeney-reveals-how-the-company-lands-exclusives-for-the-epic-store/

 

 

Upto now for the most part this cancerous practice has not taken hold off the PC gaming world. The major players are Steam, Origin, GOG, Uplay, Battlnet, Humble Store with Steam obviously being the dominant platform. None of these platforms offer exclusivity deals to 3rd party devs. As a result there are lots of games available on multiple store fronts, this makes sense for the dev as well to reach as many consumers as possible. Some games rely on one store by choice, for example Valve keeps their games exclusive to steam, EA keeps their games on Origin. This is their choice of course, what we have to ensure is that they do not incentivize independent 3rd party devs to stay off competing platforms. There have been some attempts to introduce paid exclusivity amongst PC launchers, by the Windows Store and the Oculus Store. For example Microsoft paid to keep Rise of the Tomb Raider away from Steam and PS4 for a while when it was available first on Xbox and then on the Windows Store. Fortunately it did not escalate into an arms race.

 

Let me emphasize that I am 100% in favour of having multiple store fronts. I support Epic in their endeavours with this new PC gaming store. One of the things that defines us as an open platform is that we can purchase and install software from different sources and anybody can choose to open a store or even sell their game direct to consumers. Steam itself would never have been able to spring up and revitalize PC gaming if not for this fact. We need open competition, new stores will spring up, some will die and some will thrive. This concept is more important than convenience.

 

An example of how this can damage the market; The PC platform actually consists of three operating systems- Windows, Mac OSX and Linux. Some stores like Steam and GOG support all three, some like Origin are windows only etc. A promising in development game known as Rebel Galaxy Outlaw has now signed up to be Epic exclusive for a year. Which cuts off access to players using non-windows operating systems and they are not happy about it. Clicky. Now I know this particular case doesn't affect many of you but the concept is important in demonstrating the dangers of this practice.

 

Steam at the moment does also offer funding and loans to indie game developers, they sign up a deal with Valve that the game must be made available on Steam, but they retain the right to also simultaneously launch on any other platform as long it is also available on steam.

[Apostate]

Hey where can I play Arkham Knight on PC other than steam, these exclusive deals mean nothing there nothing more than company flexing their muscles trying to get our attention, This isn't hurting the devs unless there being strongarmed into it because there signing the deals and the fact that some games are only available on PC is pretty normal 

[D13H4RD]

So let me get this straight. 

 

Exclusivity on a platform that is new, not nearly as popular with the userbase and with doubts about the rights of consumers from a subset of the userbase helps benefit developers? 

 

Riiiiight... 

[Humbug]

2 minutes ago, Apostate said:

Hey where can I play Arkham Knight on PC other than steam, these exclusive deals mean nothing there nothing more than company flexing their muscles trying to get our attention, This isn't hurting the devs unless there being strongarmed into it because there signing the deals and the fact that some games are only available on PC is pretty normal  

You can buy it on the humble bundle although you have to play it via steam

https://www.humblebundle.com/store/batman-arkham-knight

 

Anyway you are missing the point. What matters is that Valve did not sign an exclusivity deal with them. So if they decide to launch it on GOG or Origin or anywhere else they are free to do so.

[Apostate]

an exclusivity deal that only requires an account and installer something that let's be honest we should have installed anyway as the monopoly steam has on PC is Scary, I get that the Linux thing sucks but get a better interface and install process and get more users and you will matter enough for a port to the bigger/new/ in development storefronts. but thats what this is a store trying to survive and thrive in a fucked market. we NEED epic store to get users we need to diversify our launchers beacuse if steam wants toi they could charge us money to access games after we paid for them.

[Bouzoo]

While I am for more competition, this is by any means anti-competitive. Epic is turning the platform into something completely opposite from what we want. 

[Humbug]

On 1/5/2019 at 7:58 PM, Apostate said:

we NEED epic store to get users we need to diversify our launchers

Epic Store is a good thing, as I said in my opening post.

 

But we do not want to go down this road that will lead to us to being like the consoles in a few years, where Steam and Epic and Origin are throwing around money for exclusivity rights.

 

On 1/5/2019 at 7:58 PM, Apostate said:

if steam wants toi they could charge us money to access games after we paid for them.

Explain.

[r2724r16]

Okay, this is epic

[Apostate]

1 minute ago, Humbug said:

 

Explain.

 

there are a not small amount of games that vanish from my life of steam changed to say a subscription service so I now need to pay a monthly fee to access my library, now im not saying the will or they would survive or they wouldn't get sued top oblivion but I would lose my games while that happened. they have all the power or maybe they dont like a post i made on facebook about there bullshit storefront and the trash they let on there and they say i broke there terms of service and lose my account.

 

They just have way to much power

[Tech Enthusiast]

I actually enjoy having all my games on Steam and not having to deal with all the new and upcoming Launchers that are way inferior anyways.

And the most hated "feature" of Consoles for me is exclusive games that only run on one of them.

 

Granted I am working now, so I don't mind just buying all the consoles plus a good PC, but i still dislike the practice and remember how hard it sucked to own a PS2, when the game I wanted only showed up on XBOX. And vise versa, when I bought an XBOX the next generation.

 

Yeah, for PC this would not suck as bad, due to just being able to install the other launcher, ... but honestly: I really gave GOG a chance. And I hate the launcher tbh.

There are about 150 games in my GOG library and i honestly just forget about them, due to only opening Steam when I want to play a game. I went as far as rebuying games, just so I could run them via Steam. Workshop being one of the main reasons, lack of proper reviews and forums being the close second. 

Reinventing the wheel (and failing at it!) is something the gaming industry keeps getting away with. And i hate it.

[Apostate]

1 minute ago, Tech Enthusiast said:

I actually enjoy having all my games on Steam and not having to deal with all the new and upcoming Launchers that are way inferior anyways.

And the most hated "feature" of Consoles for me is exclusive games that only run on one of them.

 

 

Then add your gog games to the steam launcher and not worrying about it who cares what goes on in the background when your launching a game from as long as its smooth

[D13H4RD]

30 minutes ago, Apostate said:

we NEED epic store to get users we need to diversify our launchers beacuse if steam wants toi they could charge us money to access games after we paid for them.

When has anyone ever said that the mere existence of the Epic Games Store is bad?

 

With the exception of Gabe Newell fanatics whose Google Search history is literally made up of nothing but questions on what Newell has for breakfast, lunch and dinner, anyone with a semblance of common sense knows that the mere existence of a competing storefront is at the very least good for the competitive landscape.

 

The question being raised here is exclusivity deals, basically only being able to sell a game on one platform but not anywhere else for a certain period of time, or permanently. You can't really deny that it hurts the choice factor as you're then really only limited to one single place/platform to get that game.

 

Sure, the silver lining is that unlike a console, where you will have to buy another different console to play the exclusives, you just have to download a free launcher. But exclusivity deals hasn't exactly gone well with the PC gaming crowd.

[Humbug]

6 minutes ago, Apostate said:

there are a not small amount of games that vanish from my life of steam changed to say a subscription service so I now need to pay a monthly fee to access my library, now im not saying the will or they would survive or they wouldn't get sued top oblivion but I would lose my games while that happened. they have all the power or maybe they dont like a post i made on facebook about there bullshit storefront and the trash they let on there and they say i broke there terms of service and lose my account.

  

They just have way to much power

So if you think they have too much power do you want to push the market in the direction of paid exclusivity deals knowing that Valve is a company which is worth billions of dollars more and can easily outdo the likes of Epic?

 

Or do you prefer that Valve sticks to the below stance

https://www.vg247.com/2016/06/17/valve-offers-vr-developers-funding-to-avoid-platform-exclusive-deals/

 

Think about what direction you want to push PC gaming. You are naive if you think it cannot become an unethical arms race between Origin, Steam and Epic with money changing hands like it does in the console world.

 

If you think Steam is too powerful I agree you should support other stores like Epic and GOG etc. Competition is important.

[MyName13]

Considering how Journey is only on epic store, does that mean it's an epic store exclusive?

[CyanideInsanity]

52 minutes ago, MyName13 said:

Considering how Journey is only on epic store, does that mean it's an epic store exclusive?

Probably. Which is helping the devs by me choosing not to buy the game then. /s

[Guest]

What hurts devs more is if people can't buy the game

[PlayStation 2]

all I need in life is tf2 so epic can go fuck right off

[D13H4RD]

1 hour ago, RorzNZ said:

What hurts devs more is if people can't buy the game

That's the problem. 

 

Epic's store is much smaller due to it being newer, and there's also general skepticism regarding some of its missteps such as its earlier privacy policy and others.

 

I disagree with Sweeney regarding how exclusivity helps developers. If you give them some dosh to help fund development, then I would agree in total. But when you end up having to make it an exclusive on a platform that few people are using, that's when I see the problem. 

 

Epic's 12% storefront cut is certainly tempting for smaller developers versus the usual 30% cut. But whether that cut ultimately makes a difference depends on how many copies they are able to shift over a period of time. And that ultimately depends on how many people are willing to use the platform. 

 

And judging from the general response, it really seems that while a lot of people in the PC gaming want to give the competition a shot, what Epic is doing in particularly has been drawing quite a bit of ire. 

[Teddy07]

The whole industry disgusts me.

[niofalpha]

Quote

Upto now for the most part this cancerous practice has not taken hold off the PC gaming world. The major players are Steam, Origin, GOG, Uplay, Battlnet, HumbleStore with Steam obviously being the dominant platform. None of these platforms offer exclusivity deals to 3rd party devs

... Should I tell him?

[Humbug]

5 minutes ago, D13H4RD said:

I disagree with Sweeney regarding how exclusivity helps developers. If you give them some dosh to help fund development, then I would agree in total. But when you end up having to make it an exclusive on a platform that few people are using, that's when I see the problem. 

Yes from the developers POV, but to be clear we should protest these exclusivity deals even if they were done by major pc platforms with large userbases.

 

EA chooses to keep their own games on Origin, Valve chooses to keep their own games on Steam etc. But if either of them starts making deals with 3rd party devs to take games off other platforms then it's a whole different question ethically and for the health of the industry.

[CyanideInsanity]

30 minutes ago, D13H4RD said:

And judging from the general response, it really seems that while a lot of people in the PC gaming want to give the competition a shot, what Epic is doing in particularly has been drawing quite a bit of ire. 

This is where I'm at personally. I'd rather wait until rpcs3 can run journey well enough and pick up a used copy for cheap and emulate it. It doesn't even need to be on steam either. I'd definitely pick it up on gog, and more then likely origin or uplay as well as an alternative to steam. There's also discord's store too.

[Misanthrope]

Boy they sure are betting heavy on that Fortnite. Don't get me wrong my 8 year old absolutely loves it and is basically the game among kids right now so I understand but I'm just saying: PUBG had a similar craze and crashed quickly so I don't know if all these grandiose plans Epic is making will pan out if that should happen to Fortnite.

[D13H4RD]

54 minutes ago, Humbug said:

But if either of them starts making deals with 3rd party devs to take games off other platforms then it's a whole different question ethically and for the health of the industry.

And this is what I'm definitely against. 

 

Stop ruining the freedom of choice. Compete with each other on price. Not exclusivity. Ever wonder why I have notifications that tell me if a game I want goes on sale and that notification pops up whenever any platform has that one game that everyone else is selling but on sale? 

 

This is the competition we want. Not exclusivity. 

[BuckGup]

I expect 2019 to have the largest growth in pirating since the limelight days