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OPINION: Red’s Read on Exclusives - MMORPG.com
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OPINION: Red’s Read on Exclusives - MMORPG.com
Red Thomas takes on exclusive deals between publishers and distribution platforms. Is Epic hurting the community through exclusive deals with publishers that keep popular games away from other providers like Steam?
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If Nintendo wants to bankroll Fire Emblem, the best turn based strategy RPG franchise, I'll support that. Or the Smash Bros franchise (the only fighting games I actually enjoy). Or Xenoblade, one of the best JRPG franchises.
If Sony wants to bankroll such incredible experiences as God of War or Persona, I'll support that. These are among the only linear, story driven AAA experiences we still get, and exclusivity is a much better price to pay than microtransactions.
Ultimately, the excellent experiences made possible by exclusivity deals far outweigh, to me, the "loss" of said game on other platforms (which more than likely would be said game not existing at all or existing in lesser quality.) I don't love my PC so much that I need to play absolutely everything on that platform.
Similarly, it isn't that Epic has exclusives that bothers me. It is that Epic isn't creating/funding that content, but rather subsidizing it at the last minute. If Epic creates a high quality Unreal tournament or Gears of War, even as an Epic gamestore exclusive, that is contributing something of value. If Epic were to have funded Shenmue 3 from the start, with no Kickstarter ever having happened, that would have contributed something of value.
Similarly, if Valve were to get off its ass and start producing a Half Life 3 or a Portal 3 or anything of value (not Artifact), as an exclusive to sell its platform, that would be similarly welcome.
Give me a good store with all the existing features we enjoy from already existing stores, and innovate from there, you know, a good reason to buy from them.
From Epic's store all I see is a half-assed/mediocre effort sprinkled with $ symbols.
In all, Developers that are in for exclusivity deals are not on the side of the gamer, so why should I be on their side?
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
Well, the thing is that just because you are on a platform does not mean that you are selling it to everyone on that platform. There are big games that will sell no matter the platform despite the vocal backlash. And there are smaller games that really benefit from the guaranteed sales and even from the visibility that the EGS is giving them as there are very few games there and releases happen rarely. Basically every game released on EGS is seen by anyone who bothers to open up the store and look through the news section and that unfortunately does not go the same way for steam where there are multiple releases every day, most of them being complete trash which makes users less likely to look through those new releases.
I'm not convinced that any of this will lead to long term consumer benefits in savings passed on to us or increased quality by spurring an indie games renaissance, but it's a nice cheery thought for a Thursday
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If you want views, a thread on one of these three topics is the way to go. And if you want to avoid a complete cesspit of a forum, the third is to be avoided.
Except does that really happen with Epic exclusives? Or does the extra money go towards the executives and the shareholders? It's foolish to talk about how the people who make the games benefit from Epic when Epic itself is guilty of abusing their own employees.
Remember when Epic launcher read your list of Steam friends without getting the user's permission? Why should anyone trust them after that? A security risk is not a "minor annoyance".
Big difference between intended actions and unintended ones.
Actually, I'm a business owner and while I don't get to write about it very often, the BUSINESS of video games is fascinating to me. You guys get to read the interviews and impressions where I talk to devs about games, but what you don't often see are all the awesome conversations over lunch or coffee that I get to have with the CFOs, VCs, and other financial guys about the actual business of making and running games. Just not enough people find it interesting enough to write about.
So when something like this comes along and I get to throw my hat in the ring to talk about economic aspects of the industry? I'll take it! lol
But trust or lack thereof for a particular launcher has SFA to do with exclusivity.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
Thats true. I have never even tried RDR because if this. I’ve forgone games because of the publisher or a hundred other reasons, but never just because of the launcher. I have, however, neglected to even consider a few games because they are on a launcher that I dont have. Metro is good example. Outer Worlds is another. It looks cool but I probably wont even read reviews until its on steam. Not because I hate Epic, but because I have enough to play and buy to last a lifetime already. Its just one extra step that seems unnnecessary at this point so I’ve developed a “their loss” attitude for now. Also, once those games are on Steam or whatever, there will be other new releases etc for them to contend with.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
Hmm, I've yet to download the Epic Launcher, but is that all I really have to do?
Or do I also need to create a new account, create new user IDs, passwords, forum accounts, social media links, and set up a credit card to bill to?
If it just is downloading a new launcher, great, but I suspect that is not the case.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
Also, just to demonstrate how selectively biased the Steam crusaders are, the fact that Valve is the one who left their user data unencrypted for Epic to allegedly mine was completely overlooked, sunshine.
What is this "walking" thing you speak of?
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
The article was well written and formatted but didn't say anything different than the points everyone was smashing each other upside the head with already.
Hell, you're missing all the juicy conspiracy theory and the tit for tat. Have mercy.
P.S. Borderlands 3 officially comes out April 2020 and I can't wait.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯