• Duamerthrax@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    145
    ·
    11 months ago

    Steam: Here’s a discount.

    Epic: You’re not allowed to buy or play any Unreal Tournament games anymore.

    • RedditWanderer@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      100
      ·
      11 months ago

      Steam: Here’s a sale on a bunch of catered stuff

      Epic Games: Here’s a premium game and you cannot purchase it on any other platform because we paid the the dev to take the money and run.

      • BartsBigBugBag@lemmy.tf
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        77
        ·
        11 months ago

        Steam: here’s a platform. We know some corpos won’t release games without DRM, so here’s our in-house solution that’s non-intrusive, but if you don’t want to put DRM in your game, we won’t force you. Want to include a backup installer? Cool. No worries. Oh you don’t have solid internet? That’s cool, if you get the games installed somehow, you can use offline mode indefinitely with no issues, sorry it took us so long to work out the bugs.

        Epic: YOU MUST YSE OUR SHITTY DRM FOR ANY GAME RELEASED ON OUR PLATFORM, AND YOU MUST BE ONLINE AT ALL TIMES OR YOU CANNOT PLAY THE GAMES YOU PURCHASED.

          • CileTheSane@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            13
            ·
            11 months ago

            Right, everytime I decide I’m done with a company I make a point of keeping up on what they’re doing…

            • Syndic@feddit.de
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              14
              ·
              edit-2
              11 months ago

              If you intent to make general statements about them, it would be good to do so, yes. Else you could look silly if your statement is outdated.

              • CileTheSane@kbin.social
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                11 months ago

                If what you said was true at the time you don’t look silly at all, because people don’t follow companies they decide they are done with.

                If it’s outdated the reasonable response is simply informing people it’s out dated. Expecting them to keep up with a latest news of a company they don’t like makes you look silly.

                • Syndic@feddit.de
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  11 months ago

                  If what you said was true at the time you don’t look silly at all, because people don’t follow companies they decide they are done with.

                  That’s only true if you actually state it as such. It’s really easy to clarify such a statement with “Back when I last checked …” or “Years ago it was …”

            • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              5
              ·
              11 months ago

              Well, don’t talk about them if you don’t because you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re like an old man saying that a new computer sucks because it doesn’t have a Voodoo card inside.

              • CileTheSane@kbin.social
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                3
                ·
                11 months ago

                “I don’t purchase from comapny X ever since they did Y” is a perfectly reasonable thing to say when people are talking about company X. The reasonable response to someone saying that is simply “They don’t do Y anymore, they haven’t done that since [date]”, not “HOW DARE YOU SHARE THE REASON YOU STOPPED USING COMPANY X IF YOU HAVEN’T BEEN FOLLOWING EVERYTHING THEY’VE DONE FOR THE PAST COUPLE YEARS!”

        • WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          11 months ago

          but if you don’t want to put DRM in your game, we won’t force you.

          Have you used Steam in, well, ever? It’s literally impossible to release a Steam game without DRM and always has been.

            • WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              6
              ·
              11 months ago

              Every single one of those requires a connection to your Steam account to install. On GOG I can download the installers for my games and then use them whereever and whenever I want. That’s impossible with Steam.

              • BartsBigBugBag@lemmy.tf
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                3
                ·
                11 months ago

                Many of those allow you to copy the files freely and move them between computers, even to computers that don’t have Steam. Hell, I played Half-Life on my Linux handheld yesterday, and I didn’t install it through steam. Just copied the files onto the SD card, set up a script to bind the controls, and launched the game.

                Now, I’ll concede you must initially sign in to get access to the files, just as you must sign in to download installers on gog.

                I use both often though. I play a lot on the aforementioned Linux handheld, and you can port pretty much any DRM-free game to it. Most surprisingly work better using the Steam version than they do the GoG version, though that is likely to be down to the handheld and not anything the stores are doing.

      • MasterNerd@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        21
        ·
        edit-2
        11 months ago

        Steam: here’s the launcher. It opens in a few minutes

        Epic: You better go get yourself a coffee with that money you saved on the free game cause we’re gonna be here a while

      • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        11 months ago

        Oh so exactly what Steam did to implant itself and what gamers were complaining about because it would “kill publishers and physical copies” way back when?

        • HELM108@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          12
          ·
          11 months ago

          The only game I could find that was arguably a third party exclusive for steam was Darwinia in 2005, and they weren’t paid by Valve to do so, which pretty much scuttles the comparison.

          If you meant first party exclusivity then sure Valve does that with their own games, as does Epic and others. First party exclusivity isn’t the problem here though, it’s the third party kind instead.

          • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            11 months ago

            You think Steam doesn’t users tactics to make it so publishers only release games on their service thus driving out competition and bringing in more money? Come on.

            Some retailers refused to sell games because they required the installation of Steam to play, that’s what I call exclusivity.

            They had to be sued left and right because of their return policy, they’ve forced devs to sell games at the same price on other platforms in order to have their game on Steam.

            Had Steam been in another industry they would have been forced to split up their services because of how big they got.

            But hey, Epic bad.

            • Tak@lemmy.ml
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              12
              ·
              11 months ago

              You think Steam doesn’t users tactics to make it so publishers only release games on their service thus driving out competition and bringing in more money? Come on.

              Yes

              Some retailers refused to sell games because they required the installation of Steam to play, that’s what I call exclusivity.

              Some retailers refuse to offer birth control to their employees. Also, you can’t get an Epic key like you can a Steam key so all retailers refuse to offer epic games?

              They had to be sued left and right because of their return policy, they’ve forced devs to sell games at the same price on other platforms in order to have their game on Steam.

              It’s PC, you can sell off Steam. Blizzard has been popping out some of the biggest PC games since before steam existed without Steam. Even Blizzard is going to Steam now. It is simply the largest collection of users and the highest chance of sales. This might be such a foreign concept to you but video games have a very low cost to sell in bulk but a really high cost to sell in limited numbers. Steam is literally the force that made games like Stardew Valley and Terraria become what they are.

              Had Steam been in another industry they would have been forced to split up their services because of how big they got.

              What other industry? Online services aren’t brick and mortar stores where you’re limited, you can go to any other store. GoG, Bnet, Ubisoft, EA, RockStar… there’s so many fucking stores. Hell, Greenmangaming and Humble bundle often times give Steam keys because Epic doesn’t. People choose Steam and nothing else competes for the end user.

              Yes, Epic is bad. It literally offers a worse service than Steam and cries. As an end user why the fuck would I use Epic unless I absolutely had to? They don’t even offer mod support.

              • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                11 months ago

                It’s funny because there’s this function on Epic where you can enter a code and it claims a game on it… Oh and will you look at that, they have something called Mod Interface… It’s as if you didn’t know what you’re talking about…

                Heck, I give you an example of Steam manipulating prices, which goes against consumer interests, and you just skip right over that, funny how that works, right? How about developers interests then? 30% cut vs 17%? No guaranteed income for devs vs exclusivity contracts that guarantees an income to small devs thus making sure they actually stay in business?

                What’s funny is that you’re exactly the same as all the people who were complaining about Steam when it came out and that vowed to boycott it forever.

                Your loss bud, I’ve got thousands worth of free games (the vast majority DRM free) while you’re in your corner bitching and wanting the industry centralized in Valve’s hands.

                • CileTheSane@kbin.social
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  7
                  ·
                  11 months ago

                  I’ve got thousands worth of free games

                  So what’s the developer’s cut on a game you got for free? Or are you not nearly as concerned about developers as you pretend to be for the sake of your argument?

                • Tak@lemmy.ml
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  5
                  ·
                  11 months ago

                  It’s funny because there’s this function on Epic where you can enter a code and it claims a game on it… Oh and will you look at that, they have something called Mod Interface… It’s as if you didn’t know what you’re talking about…

                  How many games support those mods and how many mod makers publish their mods to Epic over steam?

                  Heck, I give you an example of Steam manipulating prices, which goes against consumer interests, and you just skip right over that, funny how that works, right? How about developers interests then? 30% cut vs 17%? No guaranteed income for devs vs exclusivity contracts that guarantees an income to small devs thus making sure they actually stay in business?

                  They don’t have to sell on Steam. PC is an open game platform where you can install software from any source and run it. If I was a store I wouldn’t want stuff being sold elsewhere for less, sell it there then, I don’t wanna have to sell it for more, you sell it for more. I love the switch from publishers to developers here as if there is any trickle down. Fuck the publishers that never share any of the money with the developers anyway. Next you’ll tell me Epic doesn’t treat their devs like shit making them work loads of mandatory crunch.

                  I hope so, you seem to know some funny people.

                  It sure is, maybe you should go play those free games instead of simping for a multi-billion dollar company that treats the poor devs you just want to get paid like shit.

    • Patapon Enjoyer@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      62
      ·
      11 months ago

      More like Costco selling hotdogs at a loss to get people to leave the store with a television.

      Just get the hotdogs and leave.

      • gullible@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        23
        ·
        11 months ago

        But the hotdogs are right next to their hvac guy, and tubes of meat and regrettable decisions tend to go hand in hand for me.

      • BartsBigBugBag@lemmy.tf
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        11
        ·
        11 months ago

        Then you’re still driving to Costco just to get hotdogs, which means you’re putting more resources into using their deal than would be needed to just buy and make your own hotdogs.

          • BartsBigBugBag@lemmy.tf
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            10
            ·
            11 months ago

            Yep. This would be installing and dedicating space to the Epic launcher, and maintaining an account and its credentials.

            • Nelots@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              16
              ·
              edit-2
              11 months ago

              You people are nuts lol. I don’t like Epic either, but if you think buying a $60 game is somehow less work than just claiming a free game, you’re delusional. $60 is at least several hours worth of literally working for the vast majority of us, whereas a miniscule amount of hard drive space and a one-time affair of setting up an account is a non-issue. Especially if you use a password manager (as you should), then you don’t even need to remember the password.

              There are plenty of reasons to hate Epic, stop making up bad ones.

    • MonkderZweite@feddit.ch
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      14
      ·
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      Compared to stuff like GoG, where multiple open source launchers exist. Those launchers work with steam too, but you are required to have the proprietary Steam launcher installed.

      • UnfortunateShort@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        11 months ago

        It’s surprisingly easy. Just install Lutris and than Epic via Lutris with Proton as runner and you’re good to go. I wouldn’t have thought it works just like that.

    • dan1101@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      11 months ago

      I’ve got so many free games at this point that when a favorite YouTuber like Oboeshoegames does a video on an old game and it looks good, quite often I already have it.

  • BKBenji@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    71
    ·
    edit-2
    11 months ago

    Remember folks, if the product or service is free to use, it’s likely the actual product is you and your data.

    • Syndic@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      28
      ·
      11 months ago

      In this case I think it’s mostly to get people to use the App regularely and so expose more people to the store.

      • Pandalus@programming.dev
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        11 months ago

        That’s not mutually exclusive to datamining though*. Yes they have a product in their stores, but the customers are unwitting products (to another customer-group) themselves (tbf this happens a lot, which does NOT make it ok however)

        *not saying this happens, I don’t know if the EPIC store datamines, I have never used it as I am on linux so I may as well not exist to EPIC

      • HughJanus@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        11 months ago

        It’s usually both. It’s like cable TV; pay money for the service and still watch ads.

    • Onionizer@geddit.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      11 months ago

      Honestly though, peoples priorities are wierd. Refuse to use Epic while handing over waaayy more sensitive data to Google.

      If you’re concerned about data collection, start with changing your search engine. Then maybe your browser. Then your email provider…

      (Written from GrapheneOS)

  • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    70
    ·
    11 months ago

    Please install my innocent game launcher, yes of course it needs to be root to install games and prevent cheating. I’ll give you a free game if you install it !

    • topRamen@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      20
      ·
      11 months ago

      I treat my PC like a console at this point. Don’t use it for anything but gaming because of all the insane stuff games are doing with essentially making you install spyware. Figure I’d give them as little data as I can. I even have it on a separate network that can only communicate with the internet, not the rest of my LAN.

      • RogueTyre@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        11 months ago

        You could probably just use linux with VM in that case. Haven’t tried it myself but that’s should isolate everything you don’t want on your personal system.

        • MarshReaper@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          11 months ago

          It probably wouldn’t work out for the spyware that doesn’t want you running a VM for “anti-cheating” purposes.

          • RogueTyre@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            11 months ago

            For epicgames it should be good enough but for those annoying games, ig dual boot is the only way. Windows can’t read linux partitions anyway so that should be fine but idk too much abt the capabilities of kernel level stuff so not too sure about that.

            • MarshReaper@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              4
              ·
              11 months ago

              I know there are some configurations that manage to disguise themselves as a real machine. I would like to look into that as it could be very useful. At the same time, I also wonder how deep the kernel level whatever go into my personal device.

      • interdimensionalmeme@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        It does need root access to perform the task of a game launcher and installer

        As to what it does and what access it has or what it actually does. We can’t tell since it’s closed source.

        All we know is that it can read /write any file and receive /send from the internet

  • Gianni R@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    37
    ·
    11 months ago

    First-class Linux support from Steam means they’ll get my support every time over Epic.

    • drathvedro@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      15
      ·
      11 months ago

      Even worse, Epic’s been dropping linux support from games they buy and then they prevent others from implementing it by not supporting it in their launcher and EAC

  • benpo@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    37
    ·
    11 months ago

    Redeem all free games from Epic. Never install their launcher. You get a free library to use with Geforce Now.

  • whathis@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    25
    ·
    11 months ago

    yeah i don’t get the hate for the epic store, who tf is annoyed by free games. And the Store isn’t that bad sure it doesn’t have as many functions as steam, but thats not necessarily bad steam has a lot of useless stuff. As a store the experience with epic is much more streamlined

        • OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          14
          ·
          11 months ago

          What do you think Lemmy servers run on? What do you think the developers who made Lemmy use? I’ll give you a hint, it’s the thing you want people to stop talking about

        • whathis@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          11 months ago

          yeah Linux makes sense in an Tech/IT working environment, but thats it. And people here act like it’s a wonder thing that can do anything, when its in reality lacking a lot.

          Are industry standard programms like Microsoft Office or Adobe Suite etc. supported No? then it’s completely useless for 90% of the working environments. Do games support it? Only some? most of them in a inferior version than the windows counterparts, well then its useless for gaming too.

          UX is way better on Windows too because it’s less complicated

          • TimeSquirrel@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            11 months ago

            Some of us are more than willing to deal with rough edges to not be spied on and dicked around by Microsoft and other “black box” software. I’ve been using it on my personal desktop for 20 years just fine. There are enough open source PDF viewers now that I don’t need Adobe’s bloated horseshit, and LibreOffice opens MS Office shit just fine.

            Proton for gaming is only getting better every day, not worse. You should have seen the scene in say, 2002. Where in 2023, 90% of them will run mostly fine, back then it was basically zero except for Quake and Unreal Tournament native ports.

      • Holzkohlen@feddit.de
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        11 months ago

        Just use the store in the browser. And if you meant the client, it’s garbage anyways. I’m happy with Heroic Launcher. I take the free games and just never spend a dime with them. Fools

      • whathis@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        11 months ago

        No offense but if you’re seriously using Linux for gaming than then idk what to tell you most games don’t even support Linux and those who do normally stop after a while f.e. Rocket League even years before Epic got involved

      • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        edit-2
        11 months ago

        Oh no! It doesn’t work on a platform that’s used by… let me check… 1.44% of Steam’s userbase!

        Get over it, Linux users don’t represent a big enough base to bother, that’s it, that’s all.

        • OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          14
          ·
          11 months ago

          Okay but like, you asked why people don’t like Epic Store, then told them to get over it… now you see why people don’t like Epic Store bootlickers either

          • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            11 months ago

            It’s public data… It has increased 0.4% in a year and was going down from 2014 to 2018. Heck, is only 0.3% higher than in 2014!

            Now, how much work and money did it require to get that 1.44% and how many of them are people that wouldn’t have otherwise installed Steam on a Windows partition?

            https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam

            No, Linux support is not worth the trouble, nor is OSX support, except to be the only platform to cater to that market.

            • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              9
              ·
              edit-2
              11 months ago

              Totally. Let’s just stick with our corporate overlords. Market share can’t be changed by people making better decisions.

              Edit: also, “market share” in the context of FOSS is pretty silly. For all we know, most Linux users spoof the user agent.

              • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                11 months ago

                For all we know, most Linux users spoof the user agent.

                Really? That’s the argument you’re going for?

            • MazonnaCara89@lemmy.ml
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              edit-2
              11 months ago

              Yes Linux support is not worth the trouble until you see the Epic Games launche is a CEF, that is literally a web app running in a browser and hear me out CEF is designed to be cross-platform.

              The only thing they should do is ship the app for linux and maybe add a proton menu in the settings and that’s it! Valve as done most of the work for them.

    • chalupapocalypse@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      11 months ago

      You can only like one thing, thems the rules

      Xbox or playstation, coke or Pepsi, dicks or puss

      Then you have to go online and talk shit about the ones you didn’t pick.

      It’s in the bible.

    • ShaunaTheDead@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      11 months ago

      Epic Games hasn’t done it much lately, but when they first launched they paid a few big games to be Epic Games Store exclusives which is obviously anti-consumer behaviour. That and they’re owned by China, so the chances of your data being funneled out to China is practically 100%. Also, Epic has historically been critical of gaming on Linux with the CEO going so far as to say that Linux users are a bunch of whiners and that Epic will never support Linux just to spite them. A very immature response to say the least.

      • nodiet@feddit.de
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        11 months ago

        Tencent owns a 40% share of epic. While that is really considerable, it does not mean they are “owned by China”. Tim Sweeney is the majority shareholder.

      • whathis@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        11 months ago

        The Data collection would be a solid point, but the people who loudly voice that concern are normally the people who have 500+ hours in LoL, Valo, Clash of Clans, Clash Royal etc., all of them from companies that are mostly/ completely (Riot Games 100%,Supercell 85%) owned by tencent, while they own less than 50% of Epic, yet for some reason the possibility of data collected by China is only a big problem for people, when it comes to Epic Games.

        Also as a european, i don’t really care if the Data gets funneled to the USA or China, both equally bad imo.

        • GarbageShootAlt2@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          11 months ago

          Also as a european, i don’t really care if the Data gets funneled to the USA or China, both equally bad imo.

          This is super off-topic but since you have a more reasonable stance on this than I usually see in the wild, I need to ask: Do you truly think the US is no worse than China or are you speaking in terms of impact on your life personally? (the latter would be fair in this context too, just wondering)

      • GarbageShootAlt2@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        11 months ago

        That and they’re owned by China, so the chances of your data being funneled out to China is practically 100%

        a) Tencent has a minority share b) what the fuck is China going to do with my data? Target ads a little more precisely the one time a year I go on newegg or whatever? Shouldn’t you be much more concerned about an entity like Amazon, Google, or Microsoft having that information? And it’s not like at least two of those don’t have a history of working with the US government and others, i.e. governments that actually impact your life.

      • whathis@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        Ah yes the completly new anti-consumer method of exclusives that Epic invented and only Epic does, it totally hasn’t been around since the start of gaming or something.

        • CaptainEffort@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          11 months ago

          …so because Epic didn’t invent the anti-consumer practice, that means it’s fine for them to use it? Weird take.

      • cottonmon@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        11 months ago

        Epic Games hasn’t done it much lately, but when they first launched they paid a few big games to be Epic Games Store exclusives which is obviously anti-consumer behaviour.

        Exclusivity deals on their own were pretty bad, but what really pissed people off was that some of the games that were made exclusive were crowdfunded.

    • BudgieMania@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      For me, the main concern is that Epic doesn’t have a system of purchasable keys, even after all these years. Most stores in PC have had a system with keys that has allowed users to purchase games from 3d party sites such as GreenManGaming and the like. That system has been one of the key reasons why prices have stayed in check in the platform, and why cool stuff like HumbleBundles exists.

      Without this kind of system, every time a game is exclusive to the Epic platform, it, in effect, has a single price point with no possible competition or alternative, which is no different than a console ecosystem… And a lot of the pricing on those is not great, to say the least.

      Until they have that, supporting the growth and consolidation of that store would be potentially shooting myself in the foot as a consumer.

      EDIT - Turns out, I had my info somewhat outdated, this was introduced at some point recently, at least with some retailers.

      However, on second check it doesn’t apply to games with Epic Store exclusivity, apparently (or at least the ones I’ve checked). It seems to only apply to games that are not exclusive. So concern still valid, unfortunately.

      If someone has more info about it I’d love to hear it because it looks unclear at the moment.

      • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        11 months ago

        And being against them is centralising the market in Valve’s hands, which is exactly what people feared would happen when they released Steam and started having games release exclusively on their platform.

        They give a better share of sales to the devs and also guarantee revenues, which means some games would never have seen the light of day/some devs would have gone bankrupt without Epic supporting them.

        So by not supporting them you’re also sitting yourself in the foot.

        Oh and by the way, Epic’s free games are DRM free in the vast majority of cases… Guess that’s a bad thing too for some reason?

    • mestari@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      11 months ago

      Tencent, a Chinese company is a major owner of Epic. Westerners simply hate Chinese owned tech due to political reasons. Huawei and especially TikTok are other examples.

      • ciko22i3@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        36
        ·
        11 months ago

        Yes, purely political reasons, there is no other reason to be wary of proprietary chinese software.

        • mestari@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          11 months ago

          Of course there are other concerns but politics is the main one. There’s little reason to think for example Samsung, Instagram or even Steam are any more safer than the previously mentioned Chinese owned alternatives. They all collect, store and sell every bit of data they possibly can benefit from.

          • gullible@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            8
            ·
            11 months ago

            Your examples are a bit odd, people constantly bitch about everything Samsung and Meta do, to the degree that even tech philistines are aware of it. Tencent is, in most of the ways that matter, just a branch of the Chinese government and a severe privacy violator in more tangible ways than ad space profitability improvements. Steam rarely jails people, Chinese companies phoning home helps do just that.

                • GarbageShootAlt2@lemmy.ml
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  ·
                  11 months ago

                  hmm, I guess it depends on your definition of disparage, but the thing is that even if I was out here in America hawking the most shameless bullshit, China wouldn’t do shit when I visited short of question me a bit harder in customs because arresting me for pretty benign actions I took in another country as someone with no affiliation with China would typically be considered kidnapping under international law. Of course, America calls most instances of its enemies arresting its citizens kidnapping, but China rarely arrests Americans (including when tourism to China was higher) or foreign citizens in general.

                  Reddit geopolitics work a lot better when they stick to vague insinuations and cartoonish hyperbole, because when you drill down and try to set realistic expectations based on the information available, it falls apart completely.

      • Cylusthevirus@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        18
        ·
        edit-2
        11 months ago

        Mass surveillance and flagrant human rights violations are now “”““political reasons.””“” In other news, nothing happened at Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

      • Duamerthrax@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        10
        ·
        11 months ago

        I hate Tiktok because it’s spyware. Show me the source code to prove me wrong.

        I hate Epic because they abandoned the Unreal and Unreal Tournament series, delisted from any store(including single player games) and turned off the Master Server preventing official multiplayer.

        I hate AAA game developers because of what the MBAs did to milk every cent of out of their customers.

      • Katana314@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        11 months ago

        Y’know, back in the day, we’d have friends that were Muslim or gay, that would have bullies around at school trying to beat them up. We’d call the bullies assholes, break their legs, and tell them to change their stance or have their arms broken next.

        Now, because those bullies happen to wear a suit and make speeches on government TV, and also want to ship our gay and Muslim friends off to prisons, hating them is considered “political”. Or, they highlight their own race and say we’re being “xenophobic”. Or, they simply lie and say that there is no genocide going on.

        Man, can’t we just go back to breaking legs when assholes become religiously intolerant?

        • GarbageShootAlt2@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          11 months ago

          Or, they simply lie and say that there is no genocide going on.

          Even state department mouthpieces have walked back the lie of there being a genocide in Xinjiang. Leave it to Redditors to be to the right of the state department.

    • cottonmon@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      11 months ago

      First impressions matter and Epic fucked up big time when they launched the store. There were a lot of missing features that were available on other storefronts and it was a pain to use. Another thing that really pissed people off was when they made exclusivity deals for games that were crowdfunded. A lot of people did not like that they lost the ability to play on a platform that they preferred when they directly contributed to a game being made. It was also scummy to make deals for games that were already announced on Steam (i.e. Metro: Exodus, Darq) While the store is better now and they’re funding games instead of making exclusivity deals, there is a reason why a lot of people do not trust Epic or continue to dislike them despite the free games.

    • snowadv@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      11 months ago

      Yeah… I still remember when they gave a game away by mistake (it simply had a price tag of 0 dollars) and took it back right after saying that they would have let users keep it if they did such mistake. That’s funny

  • hismajesty@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    14
    ·
    11 months ago

    Still i will take it even if the small % of game(s) will be paid by Epic (essentially it will be paid by parents of all fortnite kids/teens). Btw I’m not sure if the money offered for being an exclusive is enough to compensate the sale that it would make on steam. Even blizzard is moving to steam at this point.

    • Ser Salty@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      11 months ago

      Hasn’t Epic mostly stopped the exclusivity program? I think a couple publishers like Deep Silver still do timed Epic exclusivity, but I don’t remember them making any new deals in a long time

      • Someonelol@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        11 months ago

        Star Trek Resurgence is a recent Epic exclusive but you’re right they’re not too common thankfully.

  • CassowaryTom@lemmy.one
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    11 months ago

    I’m old and out-of-the-loop. What are they giving away? I dont see it on their website. But again, I’m old. And kind of stupid.

    • 0xb@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      43
      ·
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      don’t be so hard on yourself. over time, we all just stop paying so much attention to every single internet drama, it’s tiring and we have better stuff to do.

      and the point is that epic games has been really liberal with the freebies for their users ever since they set up shop as a competitor to steam. they give away a game every couple of weeks and even more on certain special seasons, including triple a games. someone following them since the begging must have a library well over a hundred games now, completely for free. despite that, they are finding very hard to find sympathy and market share among certain sectors of the gaming community, because their store is just not at the level of steam and some other questionable practices, even so far as to still be operating at a loss even now years later. you can see the giveaway games just below the current discounts at the home page or in the free games page almost at the top https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/free-games and of you use telegram there’s a channel that notify you every time there’s something new for free https://t.me/epicfreegames

      • WrittenWeird@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        13
        ·
        11 months ago

        Key statement here - “operating at a loss”. Interest rates are climbing and cheap capital is a thing of the past now. They need to become profitable. If they don’t, the Epic Store and all those libraries of free games might just disappear.

        Any one company is at risk of this as well, but Valve has been doing this for a long time, so they’ve built trust.

        • gaylord_fartmaster@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          11 months ago

          I remember a comment on reddit years ago where someone was saying they’d rather buy a game on stadia than geforce now, because hey, it’s not like google is going anywhere, right?

          I tried to warn them.

      • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        11 months ago

        “every couple of weeks”

        As in…a new game ever Thursday for years with a couple of repeats here and there?

        They also don’t operate at a loss, it’s the marketing budget that they redirected.

      • CassowaryTom@lemmy.one
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        11 months ago

        Thanks for taking the time to explain, that was very informative. I’m not hard on myself, btw. Im a 45 year old white guy who thinks he’s hot shit. Thanks for the encouragement, though.

      • BrutalPoseidon@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        This is great information, thanks for sharing. Could you elaborate on “questionable practices”? I’m aware of locking certain games out of steam for some time (borderlands 3 for example). Is there more I didn’t know about?

      • profilelost@discuss.tchncs.de
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        There’s lists online of all the titles if you are curious. You might be lucky and see some of them again, it happened a few times that they brought back previously given games, too :)

      • CassowaryTom@lemmy.one
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        9 months ago

        I think that I forgot to say it at the time, but thanks for your response. You helped to clarify the issue for me.

    • Smor@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      11 months ago

      On the Epic Games Store they always have one or two games that users can claim for free (and keep forever). They change the games they offer for free every few weeks or so (or on some holidays even daily). Sometimes these are really awesome ones and sometimes they suck :) Currently you can get The Elder Scrolls Online for free. They are doing this for some years now and now I have a huge selection of games that I haven’t payed a single dollar for.

    • You have to install their launcher afaik.

      They periodically give away games in the store there.
      Right now it looks like Elder Scrolls Online.
      But they occasionally give away halfway-decent games like in the past I’ve seen The Witcher 3, Civ 6, Death Stranding, StarWars Battlefront II, etc.

      • HeavyRaptor@lemmy.zip
        cake
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        11 months ago

        You don’t need to install the launcher anymore. Heroic launcher can run most of your epic store games. (both on Windows and Linux!)

        So enjoy the games without the major privacy concerns

      • yeather@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        New one every two weeks. Some good games too, never buying anything from them but I’ll keep the games.

        • CassowaryTom@lemmy.one
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          11 months ago

          Pretty invasive company. Im with you though. Take what you can get. Makese curious what they do with personal data, though.

          • Ser Salty@feddit.de
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            11 months ago

            I don’t think personal data has much to do with it, if anything at all. This is just their marketing budget meant to get you on the store, so once you grab a couple of free games, you might start buying games from them, too.

      • misterundercoat@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        It’a a no-brainer when they’re legit buy-to-pay games and not games-as-service. My only problem is that they keep giving away games that I already paid for on Steam, like Witcher 3, Civ 6, Mordhau. I missed out on death stranding, apparently.

  • supermario182@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    11 months ago

    When I had an old slow computer I hated using extra launchers for everything, heck I even kept steam closed when I didn’t need it to save resources. But now I have something half decent I don’t mind having a couple running in the background

    • GoodEye8@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      11 months ago

      I disagree. The amount of support Valve gives to Linux is not something you can ignore. They ultimately do it to sell Steam decks but Linux users still benefit from the work Valve does. If you want to believe they both suck then feel free to believe that, but don’t forget that one of them (Valve) sucks significantly less than any other online store.