Support NeoGAF

[IFireflyl]

It's not a monopoly, it's not even very good. Just seems like no one else can come close to it for whatever reason.

This is one of the most ignorant takes in this thread.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Tell us you're retarded without telling us you're retarded.

This is one of the most ignorant takes in this thread.

Neogaf. Keeping the retarded and ignorant on their toes.

 

[IntentionalPun]

Yeah because Steam lowered their cut, particularly for big games.

Steam is great, they have great business practices, and I am fine with them dominating.

You aren't an "illegal monopoly" unless you've actually done something fucked up to get dominant, in general law (US/EU.)

 

[brian0057]

Not a monopoly. Being successful is not a crime.

 

[Deerock71]

 

[Gamezone]

It's not a monopoly, but it's our go to launcher because it's best. Epic and all the other publishers can always improve their own launchers to attract more players.

 

[SJRB]

Is it a monopoly when the userbase has options but overwhelmingly choses one vendor?

 

[ZehDon]

The only monopoly Steam has is in not making a fucking terrible user experience. Find my game, buy my game, install my game, play my game. Steam isn't flashy, but it gets shit done. Microsoft's Xbox App, the Epic Store, the EA App; modern UI and UX design is pure garbage, filled with poorly performing async calls for every fucking banner, button, and scroll bar, that cause the apps to run terribly. Combined with the mobile and streaming service UI conventions that no gamer ever asked for, and the user experience of gaming via anything other than Steam is pretty fucking horrible to the point that I actively avoid them. The only loyalty I have is to my time and sanity - the day someone makes a better experience than Steam, I'll use them too.

 

[64bitmodels]

Valve built it's monopoly by forcing everybody to use steam to play CS and HL2 nearly 20 years ago. Others tried to emulate Valve by using their own IP to launch storefronts but failed because Valve had too much of an advantage. Steam has a checkered past that is often glossed over and Valve is currently facing anti trust legislation due to its market position.

Valve shouldn't even be a factor in a fair market. They are a middleman. People don't show loyalty to big box stores when buying goods they buy from the store with the lowest price. Epic and GOG are better stores on paper and offer lower prices yet people stick up for Valve like console fanboys in rage.

maybe 20 years ago, but these days Valve have been adding features, building their storefront, improving their ecosystem and overall make steam a very comfy, usable storefront. they're the most pro consumer gaming company around.
Epic isn't even trying, they have none of the same amount of features, they force you into their store via shitty exclusivity, they don't have the same easy integration with VR that steam does, neither do they have the conveninent controller remapping, community posts, etc etc etc

And for GOG while it'd be the better store by virtue of no DRM most companies are scumbags and want their content protected behind 2 layers of DRM so i can't say GOG had much of a chance, anyways. it sucks but it is what it is and it's still the go to store for retro video games

Companies are welcome to try and dethrone steam's convenient yet complex, amazing storefront. But they never have. And at the rate of it they likely never will when we still have launchers like EA play which can't even launch their own fucking game.
It's not much different from playstation dominating the console space, but everyone accepts that and realizes that Sony got to the position they are because of their prowess and smarts... but when someone brings up steam and valve, it's all suddenly like NO THEY'RE A MONOPOLY THEY'RE NOT FAIR THE STORE ISN'T GOOD AHHH

 

[Edgelord79]

No.

 

[Edgelord79]

It's not a monopoly, it's not even very good. Just seems like no one else can come close to it for whatever reason.

The reason is because it’s very good. If it wasn’t, they would have more competition.

 

[darrylgorn]

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Everyone who voted them as a monopoly... You do realize you can buy steam keys in lots of different places right?

 

[Topher]

Everyone who voted them as a monopoly... You do realize you can buy steam keys in lots of different places right?

Yes, but Valve controls the ability for those keys to be created entirely. If they wanted to they could halt that practice at any time. Just like when Sony stopped letting retailers sell game specific gift cards.

 

[Foilz]

Are they a monopoly? NO. Steam has become what it is because valve made listened to it's users way way way back in the wonid days. Steam isn't perfect but it's damn near close.if it was to become a monopoly I don't think any gamer would have an issue with that.

Just because they are the largest platform on PC doesn't make them a "monopoly". It's taken valve years upon years to craft steam into the feature bloated thing it is.

 

[Ev1L AuRoN]

Of course not. Monopoly is what Apple has with the iPhone. An ecosystem where everything must go through their storefront. PC is decentralized, we have a lot of stores on it. If steam is really a monopoly, that came organically, not through shade business.

Ubi Connect
Battle.net
Microsoft Store
Epic Games
Gog
Amazon Games
EA Origin
Riot Games;
and the list goes on.

Steam is the market leader because they have the best service. Is that simple.

• The only store that have a gamepad friendly interface (BIG PICTURE);
• Achievements and trade cards, an e-commerce for itens;
• Steam workstation for mods;
• Remote play;
• Easy backups, games run on external media;
• Strong community forums and interaction;
• Steam Family Share;
• Refund;
• Free Cloud Saving;
• And now the Steam Deck.

 

[Topher]

Of course not. Monopoly is what Apple has with the iPhone. An ecosystem where everything must go through their storefront. PC is decentralized, we have a lot of stores on it. If steam is really a monopoly, that came organically, not through shade business.

Ubi Connect
Battle.net
Microsoft Store
Epic Games
Gog
Amazon Games
EA Origin
Riot Games;
and the list goes on.

Steam is the market leader because they have the best service. Is that simple.

• The only store that have a gamepad friendly interface (BIG PICTURE);
• Achievements and trade cards, an e-commerce for itens;
• Steam workstation for mods;
• Remote play;
• Easy backups, games run on external media;
• Strong community forums and interaction;
• Steam Family Share;
• Refund;
• Free Cloud Saving;
• And now the Steam Deck.

I think the fact that Steam is a monopoly (if it is) because consumers choose the better service is key. You don't see Valve making all these crazy deals for exclusives. They didn't even want to have a part in that deal with Microsoft for Call of Duty if MS acquires AB. Just not the way they do business. It is admirable in this day where it seems the industry is full of cut-throats.

Not sure I'd call Apple a monopoly though. Certainly a closed ecosystem, but no more a monopoly than Nintendo, PlayStation or Xbox, right?

 

[Killer8]

If it's a monopoly then I love it. There are no better wardens for the PC platform than Valve.

 

[Ev1L AuRoN]

I think the fact that Steam is a monopoly (if it is) because consumers choose the better service is key. You don't see Valve making all these crazy deals for exclusives. They didn't even want to have a part in that deal with Microsoft for Call of Duty if MS acquires AB. Just not the way they do business. It is admirable in this day where it seems the industry is full of cut-throats.

Not sure I'd call Apple a monopoly though. Certainly a closed ecosystem, but no more a monopoly than Nintendo, PlayStation or Xbox, right?

Well, yes, I think it all comes down to if you consider a smartphone a computer or not. Consoles are single-purpose items, and they compete between themselves, the iPhone is a computer with a single store. Android always allowed their users to sideload apps, you can install entire new storefronts. I believe steam is not a monopoly exactly because they are not the platform holder nor the only way you can get games, the PC as a platform is not gaming centric, much like a smartphone, it is a multipurpose system where you can work, communicate and play games.

 

[Topher]

Well, yes, I think it all comes down to if you consider a smartphone a computer or not. Consoles are single-purpose items, and they compete between themselves, the iPhone is a computer with a single store. Android always allowed their users to sideload apps, you can install entire new storefronts. I believe steam is not a monopoly exactly because they are not the platform holder nor the only way you can get games, the PC as a platform is not gaming centric, much like a smartphone, it is a multipurpose system where you can work, communicate and play games.

I'm thinking of a monopoly in a strict market sense. Apple doesn't own even a majority of the smart phone market. But perhaps that's an antiquated way to look at these things with digital markets. It would be an interesting case if it were to ever go to court.

 

[DeepEnigma]

So is Steam really a monopoly in PC gaming? If so, are you ok with that? If not, why not?

Damn, Gaben looking good these days. Definitely lost a lot of weight.

 

[Kataploom]

Valve built it's monopoly by forcing everybody to use steam to play CS and HL2 nearly 20 years ago. Others tried to emulate Valve by using their own IP to launch storefronts but failed because Valve had too much of an advantage. Steam has a checkered past that is often glossed over and Valve is currently facing anti trust legislation due to its market position.

Valve shouldn't even be a factor in a fair market. They are a middleman. People don't show loyalty to big box stores when buying goods they buy from the store with the lowest price. Epic and GOG are better stores on paper and offer lower prices yet people stick up for Valve like console fanboys in rage.

I don't know how can you be so wrong in a single comment... Damn

Starting by "forcing" everybody by what? By investing in actual in-house content in order to provide value and a differentiating factor to the market? Are now saying that Sony built PS by FORCING players to buy a console in order to play Crash Bandicoot? Nintendo FORCED people to buy a Switch in order to play Zelda? IDK if you're an anti-exclusives radical advocate or just a Valve hater, but if you want to bash Valve from making actual content for their store, then you shouldn't be praising Epic for anything since they literally FORCE PC players into their store buy paying third parties in order to avoid Steam, and there's an big difference between putting money to create content and putting money to remove content, that's why I think the only good exclusivity deal Epic has had since the EGS came out was Alan Wake 2, they're actually funding it to provide value.

Also WTF is that "Epic is better store" than Steam? I couldn't even live outside of Steam due to some essential features like controllers remapping that I couldn't find anywhere else, just recently got an Xbox controller for Game Pass.

Also, Steam regional prices are just a steal where I live... You can't find Dark Souls 3 on CDKeys for less then 150% the price I find it on Steam, that's as low as it can get.

Oh and those keys there aren't even paid to Valve, they allow devs to sell their keys to any store they want, that way Valve incentivize competition with their own store to other smaller retailers, that can't fucking be a monopoly.

EGS and GOG? They're not even the bigger Steam competitors, those are other digital sellers like Fanatical, Humble Store, etc. They also count and what Epic does to "compete fairly against Valve" harms those other smaller places way more than they benefit their store against Steam.

 

[Ribi]

i wont call steam a monopoly until i can play THPS HD on my steamdeck. Its been years come on.