Don’t be shitbags and at least try customer service.
These fuckers have tried everything except shipping a decent product.
We’ve tried nothing and we’re out of ideas.
BS. Steam offers games simply without the bull. They didn’t break capitalism, they just didn’t enshitten their platform.
Steam still have a lot of issues, so there’s some opportunities still. If Epic truly managed to provide what Steam does while taking less from the devs, I would guarantee you that more people would go to the EGS, and even make memes about EGS taking less from devs. But with nonexistent social features and AI slop unlabeled, people will not want to touch it with a ten foot pole.
Hell, even if they just let people avoid AI slop easier than on Steam would at least win over a few people. But from what Epic is doing with its other tools, it seems like they’re trying to force as many devs to be “AI first” as possible.
As a dev, I wouldn’t lie that Epic taking lower cuts sounds nice. But if it comes with the costs of their game launcher coming with Chinese spyware and being horribly vibe-coded, a chronic inability to dodge AI slop, then I don’t even want to touch it with a 10 foot pole. Maybe I won’t even release my games there.
On the one hand, they’re not really competing on features right now.
On the other hand, I have heard (more times than I can count or remember), that Steam users will never use another launcher for any reason ever.
So they kind of have a point. If they invest hundreds of millions or billions into features, would Steam users really use the Epic launcher? I don’t think so.
they released a new video codec for steamlink vr streaming not too long ago, and are adding achievement categories
He is saying Epic isn’t releasing new features right now (because it doesnt help against steam)
Epic announced that fartknife was coming to Linux less than a month ago
Their new launcher supposedly runs on Linux, but their FAQ tells you that most games will need a compatibility layer and doesn’t mention a built in one.
At the same time they are rebuilding Easy Anti Cheat (EAC) to run on Linux, something that was possible with Steams Proton for years alreadyif developers enable it.
All they are doing is bringing their main cashcow to as many people as possible, while trying tobe as invasiv as possible with the new EAC. Nothing about this is really customer friendly.
Their new launcher supposedly runs on Linux, but their FAQ tells you that most games will need a compatibility layer and doesn’t mention a built in one.
Just like Steam, it downloads the compatibility layer automatically. Neither one has it built in.
If it does then they have done something properly for once. They really do a shit job at communicating it though. The
It’s communicated when you first install a game. I’ve actually tested it for shits and giggles. But they really should mention it loudly for people who haven’t downloaded yet if they really wanted to get Linux users on board.
Steam has problems, Epic games could fix that. They choose to whine about it on social media instead.
Fixing those problems wouldn’t get anyone to move over. It’s another launcher and store. Who the fuck wants that? Until GabeN dies, Valve is taken public, and things get straight up shitty on Steam, nobody’s going to start buying games on another platform.
They could, but they won’t.
The major way they broke capitalism was by not going public. Gabe has to answer to nobody, so the usual gang of corporate fucking idiots can’t force him to do short sighted shit to make a short term squeeze at the cost of long term viability.
This is the key. It’s the WHOLE thing. A runaway cap table destroys companies, always. Investors have different exit horizons and they are fundamentally incompatible with long term viability.
All you need to do to compete with a publicly owned company is capitalism is wait for their investors to get too greedy.
When Gabe passes one day and the next owner is some business dimwit and makes steam really win capitalism, pretty sure we’ll jump to GoG. That’s my headcanon at least. Because that’s what always happens to private companies when the person who cares about the thing no longer leads the company.
Is GoG immune?
Not entirely, but they’re focused on delivering DRM free copies for your purchases. So if they were to pivot and revoke your library, that part is impossible if you’ve downloaded your DRM free installation files.
Do you keep an up to date copy of all your games installers?
I have some games on GoG. But when I wanted to install games, I got their launcher installer. You need to go through some dark path to find the true installer. At least it was the case a couple years back.
Also a few month ago they putted an announce to hire someone to lead the Galaxy launcher. They explicitly asked for someone that would push the use of AI in their team.
I fear the moment they gain enough traction, the game won’t be as easy to install DRM free. Their launcher will be the DRM, just like steam.
So yeah, they provide an escape hatch for now, but sadly other than that it looks to me they are more like Epic than Valve. I have not much trust for them.
(Maybe Humble Bundle stopping to provide DRM free download of the game + the steam key eaeliy on made me very skeptical of this?)
You need to go through some dark path to find the true installer. At least it was the case a couple years back.
No? Literally just go to your games page on the website, click the game, and “Download Offline Backup Game Installers” is right where it’s been for as long as I can remember.
When you know you have DRM free installers on this store, and you “just” want to download them. Where do you click?
The big blue button or the little
line that look like it is a title? It is exactly like the cookies popup that show front and center the “accept all” button, but hide in text at the top somewhere the “Continue without accepting cookies” link.For me to not call that a dark pattern you need to have the same visual language for both download:
- Both a big blue button ✅
- Both a link ✅
- One is a big blue button, the other is hidden behind some sort of title that don’t look clickable? ❌
