Quality = a vague amphorus undefinable criteria that changes from person to person and yet more fragementation of game stores.
Fragmentation is unavoidable. The gaming market is enormous, bigger than film if I’m not mistaken, and it’s only getting bigger. Such a market is of course going to have many players in it, trying to take a slice of the pie. I mean, yes, I personally don’t like the fragmentation, and honestly the publisher only stores can go die in a fire for all I care, but I have to accept that it’s this way. Basic economics.
Also, you really don’t want a monopoly, or something close to it. That only leads to higher prices, worse customer service and other bad things.
So far, I do not see Epic to be competing with Steam at all.
Everything Epic do so far is being as incompetent, anti-competitive and unethical possible from the multiple user information leak, throwing money at developers for timed exclusive and the latest spyware like behaviour of the Epic Game Store extracting and sending user’s private information back to Epic without consent.
So very very true. What’s really needed, but never likely to happen, is some non-profit organisation, with good customer service, that’s not connected to any game studio, that “Just” distrubutes all available games. 
Then what else do you call selling a game on Steam only to pull it from Steam just before release, because Epic wants it to be exclusive to themselves?
He means they are not doing a good job of it.
Wasn’t aware of this, did some reading and it seems epic likes to mine every bit of data it can… this doesn’t help their cause. Fools.
Had to get a refund on Phoenix point as it’s going to be an epic store exclusive for a year.
I still don’t understand why they can’t accommodate their backers. That would have done a lot to restore some sense of trust. Both Epic and the devs could have come up with something. But at least they are doing refunds.
This guy has some info and discussion about what happened: ‘XCONNED?!’ Legendary Game Designers Crowdfunded Project Falls To Epic Store Exclusivity.
I agree, but it is a silly move by the devs, but interesting that the devs approached Epic, not the other way around. But to me, the move just gives a middle finger to the backers more then anything. Afterall, the game wouldn’t have been funded without them.
If this is the way of things, then I wonder if this will kill more chances of games getting funded? epsecailly if there is a chance that the studio makes a silly move like this? people will lose their trust and faith in both KS and Fig.
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The Developers were looking for a way to get more revenue quickly which wouldn’t have any creative impact on the game they were putting out. Seems pretty simple and straightforward to me.
I backed Phoenix Point and don’t give a shit what store it’s on, because I care about games not giant companies and their stores. The difference between games on different launchers is literally zero when it comes to actually running the game. Do I prefer GoG over every other storefront? sure because CDPR is awesome, but there are games I haven’t gotten there (like Grim Dawn) simply because multiplayer was simpler to do through Steam at the time of purchase.
Multiple storefronts/launchers is a minor inconvenience at worst, but all of this shit slinging just reminds me of when EA put Battlefield 3 on Origin exclusively. You’d have thought that gaming was ending and taking the world with it, yet here we are 8 years later and every major publisher has their own launcher.
I doubt Epic’s game exclusivity is a thing they’re going to keep doing for long (aside from their own projects obviously) as it seems like a pure business decision to drive consumers to their platform. Steam needs competition and as has been proven by consumers blind loyalty is a thing. In the US Metro Exodus went on sale on the Epic store for $10 less than Steam yet there was still a rush for people to buy it on Steam before it was no longer available. I certainly wouldn’t spend an extra $10 just to have a game on any specific storefront assuming I can still play it on my same hardware.
I agree as ibugsy said above that it would have been nice if they could work something out with just the backers for Phoenix Point, but at the end of the day the tiny inconvenience just isn’t enough to get me to care versus real problems going on in life every day.
More the merrier I say, competition is a good thing!
Before I forget again - What should have happened with Phoenix Point is the devs should have offered steam and GOG keys for bakers, but kept sales only to the Epic Store. Doing so would have reduced the backlash, limiting it to only the hardcore anti Epic Store crowd.
Of course, that probably would have also cost them some cash from Epic, or might not have even been an option sadly. But sh*t happens and I for one will enjoy a year of free DLC.
stupid comment, because there is no competition. quite the opposite.
And another one bites the dust 
I wonder who funds all of that, it’s not cheap to land all those exclusives. Not to mention their giveaways. Must be many, many millions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_Games#Games_as_a_Service_and_Tencent_acquisition_(2012%E2%80%93present
Epic Games, which had been valued at around US$825 million at the time of Tencent’s acquisition, was estimated to be worth US$4.5 billion in July 2018 due to Fortnite Battle Royale, and expected to surpass US$8.5 billion by the end of 2018 with projected growth of the game.
So Fortnite is to blame for all of this…
Fortnite does, they bring in billions, so can spend millions…
For now, that will not last more than a few years. But since the Chinese own them, they’ll basically never run out of money again. Fun times ahead for Valve… hopefully this will make them actually do something.
As of now, I fully support Steam and every other store to pay developers and keep games exclusive to their store.
If Epic does not have a problem doing this, I am all for everyone doing the same thing. after all it is equal opportunity and fair game for everyone doing the same thing if Epic keeps going for the low blow.