It's a guesstimate on my part based on my understanding of the costs involved.
Let me turn the question around: why do you believe the break even point is higher? I think we can agree the absolute ceiling is 10% based on how low epic and discord are willing to go. Most likely several percentage points lower, since I don't think they'd be investing in challenging steam's monopoly if their end goal was merely breaking even.
It's a guesstimate on my part based on my understanding of the costs involved. Let me turn the question around: why do you believe the break even point is higher? I think we can agree the absolute ceiling is 10% based on how low epic and discord are willing to go. Most likely several percentage points lower, since I don't think they'd be investing in challenging steam's monopoly if their end goal was merely breaking even.
Steam does indeed invest a lot of money on expensive initiatives, and despite several big failures they've produced a lot of good things for PC gaming. But that's separate from the core cost of running an online storefront like nintendo/sony/etc do. Valve making steam machines and investing in VR does not change their break even point for running steam.Discord and Epic can get away with charging less because they offer significantly less services to developers than Steam, do not invest in countless FOSS projects like DXVK and SDL2, and do not invest in their own hardware R&D like Valve.
I'm aware. But I highly, highly doubt their plan is to operate at a loss and then raise their rates, considering how central the 10% number has been to their sales pitch. They chose that figure because it's sustainable for them in the future.It's also not uncommon for businesses to charge unrealistically low rates to help them establish a positvion in the market.
The nerve of Epic to improve their service in order to compete with Steam. How appalling.
How are they competing when they're trying to match what Steam offers for years now?
It will be interesting to see how it pans out in 6 months time, as PC gamers are cheap arses when it comes to paying full price for games.
The games on Steam's top selling list are usually nearly all full price games.I am pleased to see they have matched Steam Policy, The only reason I use key resellers is the reduced prices on new releases but I won't bother with them in the future as it's not worth it as they won't be much cheaper any more.
It will be interesting to see how it pans out in 6 months time, as PC gamers are cheap arses when it comes to paying full price for games.
Competing doesn't mean they have to revolutionise the DD market, being in it is enough.
It's unreasonable to expect a brand new store to offer complete parity with Steam, a 15 year old service, on day one. The question is how fast they can build it up to be properly competitive.
It will be interesting to see how it pans out in 6 months time, as PC gamers are cheap arses when it comes to paying full price for games.
That's like saying that it's ok for the Eshop to be more barebone than Xbox Live or PSN.
It's also unreasonable to expect for me to care, using a service I like a lot less, only to favor a company that I trust a lot less in building their "solid footing" in this market with a series of unlikable anti-competitive practices.It's unreasonable to expect a brand new store to offer complete parity with Steam, a 15 year old service, on day one. The question is how fast they can build it up to be properly competitive.
Do Steam diehards have a different dictionary than other people?
It's also unreasonable to expect for me to care, using a service I like a lot less, only to favor a company that I trust a lot less in building their "solid footing" in this market with a series of unlikable anti-competitive practices.
No, seriously. Please, tell me again: why I should even give Epic/Tencent a chance instead of letting my wallet speak for me? What does that do for me?
Tell us more about PC gamersI am pleased to see they have matched Steam Policy, The only reason I use key resellers is the reduced prices on new releases but I won't bother with them in the future as it's not worth it as they won't be much cheaper any more.
It will be interesting to see how it pans out in 6 months time, as PC gamers are cheap arses when it comes to paying full price for games.
Stop the exclusivity moneyhatting and you're actually going in the right direction of what competition should be Epic.
I'm not sure what you mean by this. Don't the companies putting out the games set the price, and then Valve/Epic takes a percentage of that price?
If it's successful, will they continue pushing a "console" approach, by funding exclusive developments?
Last time I refunded a game (in November) I had to file a ticket and wait for their slow ass support to get to it. If there is a self-service refund then I am ignorant to it.
Imagine a crazy situation in which they end doing its own E3 press conferences, or if you see a situation like 'Bayonetta 2' or 'Scalebound' in the past, producing a exclusivity of PlatinumGames only to be released in the Epic Store.
By bringing in features every other store has had for years at this point?
By bringing in features every other store has had for years at this point?
That would be welcome.
But instead they're choosing to go after games that were slated for Steam, to stifle any competition. They can't beat Steam head to head, so they're playing dirty.
It's not playing "dirty". It's once again, imitating a console business model. We have seen enough situations of this in the past. Games first confirmed as multiplatform titles in consoles, only to finally being released in a single console as timed exclusives.
If we criticize Epic for doing this, we need to also criticize to Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. They have been doing this for decades.
It's not playing "dirty". It's once again, imitating a console business model. We have seen enough situations of this in the past. Games first confirmed as multiplatform titles in consoles, only to finally being released in a single console as timed exclusives.
If we criticize Epic for doing this, we need to also criticize to Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. They have been doing this for decades.
Next we're going to praise a computer for having access to the internet lol.
Of course not, Steam launched 15 years ago. If that's really the base they're going for then why even bother?
Is there any other product or service where people try to compare a launching product to the old model (by 5 years minimum) of the competition? Epic isn't a small indie team trying some interesting idea in a field dominated by big companies. The could have made all these upgrades *before* starting their aggressive approach. Also by buying exclusives they are forcing the direct comparisons right now.
It is really good that their are implementing these consumer friendly features, but like everything else about this store, it feels rushed. Good refund policy but still only available by going through manual support. Regional pricing but without local currency (at least here in Brazil) or local payment options. It all feels so reactive instead of planned.
No. The year was also 2003.
You know it wasn't.I can't even tell if this is meant to be ironic or not anymore.
Well if valve wasn't offering refunds there's no way epic would. So thank God steam exists.I can't even tell if this is meant to be ironic or not anymore.
Throwing money at a company to cancel or delay their Steam release for a year is dirty, and it's certainly not welcome. Seems like the majority of people okay with this are console players chiming in.
Competition got Valve to implement returns in the first place.Well if valve wasn't offering refunds there's no way epic would. So thank God steam exists.
Well if valve wasn't offering refunds there's no way epic would. So thank God steam exists.
It seems i was mistaken. i thought it was Origin. End result is still good though but i didnt know it escalated to a legal level.Then, you should better say thanks to the Australia law for the refunds :)
Valve only included them, after being forced to do this in a court.
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/04/20/australia-fines-valve-over-steam-refunds/