twenty years ago…
alright i may have been wrong in that regard, however 20 years are more than enough time to catch up. epic games and basically every publisher tried to do so, also with their own exclusivity and all. but they didnt. cause they suck. steam doesnt suck. it actually provides a good service, maybe not 20 years ago, but today they do.
It’s not at all easy to reverse the market share of a business which benefits from a dominant market position in a market were such effects are strong, even when they turn complete shit (example: Twitter), which Valve hasn’t.
PS: A “20 years made no difference” example: Microsoft and Windows, with which a literally free product - Linux - competes.
if you count a user base of 4-5% a competition then every other launcher is a competition to steam, which i completely disagree with. 4-5% isnt even barely a competition, its a couple of people deviating from the norm.
and to the network effeft:
…depends on the number of users of compatible products
what exactly has to be compatible here? the game will run no matter where i buy it, the only difference is how enjoyable the launcher is
I suggest you read about the Network Effect in markets.
It’s not at all easy to reverse the market share of a business which benefits from a dominant market position in a market were such effects are strong, even when they turn complete shit (example: Twitter), which Valve hasn’t.
PS: A “20 years made no difference” example: Microsoft and Windows, with which a literally free product - Linux - competes.
if you count a user base of 4-5% a competition then every other launcher is a competition to steam, which i completely disagree with. 4-5% isnt even barely a competition, its a couple of people deviating from the norm.
and to the network effeft:
what exactly has to be compatible here? the game will run no matter where i buy it, the only difference is how enjoyable the launcher is