This article feels like it was written by someone that has never gamed on PC and they gave almost zero examples of how Steam is declining besides gaming on Mac and their 30% cut. As someone that has been a PC gamer since the early 2000’s, they underestimate the ubiquity that Steam has. If it’s not on Steam some people will refuse to buy it all together. Not even as a boycott but just because they want all their games in one place.
There will always be alternatives, and I agree that’s a good thing, but Steam basically already cornered the market. Unless someone provides a service that isn’t just different but actually better for consumers than Steam, they will stay on top. Doesn’t matter about exclusivity, free games, or how much of a cut they take. From the perspective of the consumer, Steam is the best option.
And this isn’t just me fan-boying for Steam. I have plenty of issues with them. I just happen to have a lot more issues with the alternatives. The only exception I’d make is GOG. Their launcher is kinda meh, but I enjoy the lack of DRM. Now if GOG had an app and social aspect similar to Steam, that’d be a game changer.
This article feels like it was written by someone that has never gamed on PC and they gave almost zero examples of how Steam is declining besides gaming on Mac and their 30% cut. As someone that has been a PC gamer since the early 2000’s, they underestimate the ubiquity that Steam has. If it’s not on Steam some people will refuse to buy it all together. Not even as a boycott but just because they want all their games in one place.
There will always be alternatives, and I agree that’s a good thing, but Steam basically already cornered the market. Unless someone provides a service that isn’t just different but actually better for consumers than Steam, they will stay on top. Doesn’t matter about exclusivity, free games, or how much of a cut they take. From the perspective of the consumer, Steam is the best option.
And this isn’t just me fan-boying for Steam. I have plenty of issues with them. I just happen to have a lot more issues with the alternatives. The only exception I’d make is GOG. Their launcher is kinda meh, but I enjoy the lack of DRM. Now if GOG had an app and social aspect similar to Steam, that’d be a game changer.