How does it hurt you? Look, I get that people dislike using multiple launchers, but it’s not like you have to buy a console to play the god damn game. The melodrama is crazy, all you have to do to play it besides buying the game is download epic’s launcher. If you’re in Linux, it’s a bit more of a pain, but hardly.
Apart from the inconvenience (which is a huge reason I dont use Epic) for the same price I get less service.
If you only want to play games thats nothing, no melodrama, just install the game and play it.
…but as soon as you want to interact with your friends in-game, download some mods, look up help with the game, stream stuff from my computer to my living room TV, share my account with family or just play on Linux the Epic store transforms from “just another launcher” to a useless peace of extra software on my PC actively standing in the way of my fun.
Steam’s voice chat/partying functionality is garbage. Discord is widely used for a reason. Remote Play is hit or miss, but I’ve largely resorted to using Moonlight instead on my Steam Deck because it’s more reliable and stable. The guides on Steam vary wildly from game to game, just depends on the community support for it. It is nice when there’s good stuff available, as it is somewhat convenient (though I wished it saved my spot on the page, I constantly have to scroll to where I left off on guides whenever I do use them). Lutris and NonSteamLauncher makes running Epic on Linux a non-issue.
I get it, Epic is a lackluster launcher. No one’s arguing otherwise. But it’s hardly a huge barrier to playing games.
My steam profile is 18 years old. I am using all the above features for many years and they are perfectly functional.
Your solution is to use different third party apps for everything is the opposite of convenience in my opinion. If you prefer the better software for these features, why not the better launcher/storefront for games?
Epic gives no added value to the user experience (IMO) and does not inspire competition to do better, other that the free games extravaganza to try to expand its userbase, while steam does not have to prove anything anymore, yet still investing more money in new features, technologies.
The steam users are used to a certain level of service and have a perfectly valid reason to dislike less functional competitors.
If you are just here to grab the weekly free game, download and play then go for it, Epic will 100% serve its purpose , just don’t put it on the same level when talking about everything else.
By using their service and giving them money, you’re validating their shitty practices and propagating this garbage across multiple platforms when other companies see it’s profitable.
If you want gaming to get better, stop giving bad companies your money and attention.
Exclusivity has been a thing since the advent of videogames, this isn’t anything new. Epic is just a shitty company, so they’re an easy target to criticize. They funded the development and published the game, it’s their right to do with it as they please. They’re losing money by not bringing it to Steam, so their loss, really. But it’s not even close to the equivalent of console exclusives, as the barrier here is spending 5 minutes to just download their shitty launcher. It sucks, but this really isn’t that big of a deal, in my opinion.
When you’re required to use their “store” to play the games too, then it’s a platform. And an isolated one, at that. Imagine you could only buy a game AND PLAY IT at Walmart.
Platform exclusivity is part of Epic Games’ problem. Not the sole issue, but a big one.
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How does it hurt you? Look, I get that people dislike using multiple launchers, but it’s not like you have to buy a console to play the god damn game. The melodrama is crazy, all you have to do to play it besides buying the game is download epic’s launcher. If you’re in Linux, it’s a bit more of a pain, but hardly.
Apart from the inconvenience (which is a huge reason I dont use Epic) for the same price I get less service.
If you only want to play games thats nothing, no melodrama, just install the game and play it.
…but as soon as you want to interact with your friends in-game, download some mods, look up help with the game, stream stuff from my computer to my living room TV, share my account with family or just play on Linux the Epic store transforms from “just another launcher” to a useless peace of extra software on my PC actively standing in the way of my fun.
Steam’s voice chat/partying functionality is garbage. Discord is widely used for a reason. Remote Play is hit or miss, but I’ve largely resorted to using Moonlight instead on my Steam Deck because it’s more reliable and stable. The guides on Steam vary wildly from game to game, just depends on the community support for it. It is nice when there’s good stuff available, as it is somewhat convenient (though I wished it saved my spot on the page, I constantly have to scroll to where I left off on guides whenever I do use them). Lutris and NonSteamLauncher makes running Epic on Linux a non-issue.
I get it, Epic is a lackluster launcher. No one’s arguing otherwise. But it’s hardly a huge barrier to playing games.
My steam profile is 18 years old. I am using all the above features for many years and they are perfectly functional.
Your solution is to use different third party apps for everything is the opposite of convenience in my opinion. If you prefer the better software for these features, why not the better launcher/storefront for games?
Epic gives no added value to the user experience (IMO) and does not inspire competition to do better, other that the free games extravaganza to try to expand its userbase, while steam does not have to prove anything anymore, yet still investing more money in new features, technologies.
The steam users are used to a certain level of service and have a perfectly valid reason to dislike less functional competitors. If you are just here to grab the weekly free game, download and play then go for it, Epic will 100% serve its purpose , just don’t put it on the same level when talking about everything else.
I was tired last night, toddler hasn’t let me sleep much.
I think I poorly conveyed that I do prefer Steam, and do think Epic’s launcher is lacking. My point is, getting into the gaming retail business has a crazy upfront cost, so if GOG closes shop (which isn’t so crazy to speculate: https://cdaction-pl.translate.goog/publicystyka/wielkie-zwolnienia-w-gog-u-pracownicy-naswietlaja-wewnetrzne-problemy-firmy-tylko-u-nas?_x_tr_sl=pl&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp&_x_tr_hist=true the original article was in Polish, thus the google translate link), that leaves only Epic competing with Steam. If epic eventually concludes they can’t pull enough marketshare to continue justifying the crazy money they’ve spent trying to attract users from Steam with all their sales, that’ll leave zero competition to Steam. I for one don’t condone monopolies.
Alternatively, studios could just start releasing physical media again, but we all know that’ll never happen…
By using their service and giving them money, you’re validating their shitty practices and propagating this garbage across multiple platforms when other companies see it’s profitable.
If you want gaming to get better, stop giving bad companies your money and attention.
Exclusivity has been a thing since the advent of videogames, this isn’t anything new. Epic is just a shitty company, so they’re an easy target to criticize. They funded the development and published the game, it’s their right to do with it as they please. They’re losing money by not bringing it to Steam, so their loss, really. But it’s not even close to the equivalent of console exclusives, as the barrier here is spending 5 minutes to just download their shitty launcher. It sucks, but this really isn’t that big of a deal, in my opinion.
It’s a store not a platform
If walmart doesn’t have a game, you would check gamestop
Don’t try to hijack the platform exclusive argument
When you’re required to use their “store” to play the games too, then it’s a platform. And an isolated one, at that. Imagine you could only buy a game AND PLAY IT at Walmart.
Platform exclusivity is part of Epic Games’ problem. Not the sole issue, but a big one.
The platform is the OS
And you aren’t forced to use their launcher, that’s a Valve thing