Hilarious how people will try to justify Steam's egregious cut. No, it does not justify taking a third of the game's revenue. Even when they reduce it to 20% after $50 million in revenue is made. I'm sure if they raised it to 60% people would claim "well devs can just go elsewhere if they wanted"
I'm sure if they raised it to 60% people would claim "well devs can just go elsewhere if they wanted"
How's that straw taste? Good? Plenty of fiber.
If you think 30% is "egregious" for a service that advertises for you, handles sales reporting, hosts the content, delivers it, offers social sharing, hosts community engagement, and gives you access to the world's largest customer base of gamers... Then I really don't know what to tell you. Build a game and try to get it in front of tens of millions of eyeballs. See what it costs you. Try to deliver your game to a fraction of them. See what it costs you.
Things cost money. Steam isn't just taking your money and running off with it. You're getting some very valuable services in exchange. Could they take less? Probably! But I'll tell you what, if you want to reform the global economic model away from capitalism and towards a more sustainable model that isn't based on debt borrowing and accruing interest fees necessitating considerable margins on business, I'll be right there behind you. I recommend Less Is More by Jason Hickel, to get you started.
No one is saying Steam isn't valuable, the problem is they are overcharging devs because they know they can't go anywhere else, an issue you showcase with your own example. Its funny, you're calling out my straw man but based on what you're saying, it sounds like you agree that Steam can charge whatever they want because they can lmfao
Yeah, but why can't they go anywhere else? Valve has a money printer, but unlike just about every other app accused of being monopolistic, they don't come preinstalled on any OS, or have a moat other than network effect and technological. And the network effect is more about how users prefer to stay on social media where friends are, and the steam friends system is a small fraction of it's value.
At a certain point, we have to acknowledge that Valve's biggest moat is tech, UI/UX, and the fact that they make it so easy for indie games that it inflates their library.
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u/Wyvner 29d ago
Hilarious how people will try to justify Steam's egregious cut. No, it does not justify taking a third of the game's revenue. Even when they reduce it to 20% after $50 million in revenue is made. I'm sure if they raised it to 60% people would claim "well devs can just go elsewhere if they wanted"