I don't think so, given Epic's reputation, but even if I were wrong it's all a matter of choice : giving more money to the bad guys (Epic) AND the good guys (DE), or giving less money to DE and the neutral guys (Steam) ?
yeah, you could also buy from Warframe, if you're highly concerned about that. then the only cut that gets taken is their Payment Processing partner, which i expect in a decade or two people will freak out about that too.
I buy everything through DE's website as a PC player. No offense, but neither Steam or Epic Games deserves a cut from me personally. I know I'm missing out on Steam Points and trading cards during holiday sales, but that's something I will miss out on if it means giving more of a cut to the company who actually made the product I'm buying.
I would like to point out how people think Epic is only taking a 12% cut "out of the goodness of their hearts" when that couldn't be further from the case. They're using their Fortnite/Unreal Engine money to subsidize their storefront to better compete with Valve and get a bigger foothold. If Steam disappeared one day you can bet dollars to donuts that Epic will demand a bigger cut citing "increased operational costs" or some other BS. Epic is a corporation and corporations are always trying to cash in on something, perceived philanthropy is just a happy side effect.
I'm honestly not sure that either of them takes a cut on in-game currency purchases. I think the income that Valve makes from WF come only from the packs and tennogen skins that are actually there as a Steam Store option. Platinum is bought directly through DE even if you buy pay through Steam since it is just a payment option on the WF site. So their cut is likely that of the normal payment processing partner.
Anyways, to be 100% sure that you support DE fully with purchases, just buy it through the homepage and make sure you use the payment proccessing partner DE uses and not some Steam or Epic payment option on checkout.
No, since you can buy platinum from DE's website. EGS is the "middleman". If you buy a pack from EGS, or even Steam, then they'll take their cut. If you buy direct from DE's website they will get everything. Buy direct from DE if you want DE to get the full amount.
This is sort of overstatement. Games they give away are not quite new, however they do indeed give them away and that's $$100-200 worth of games or possibly more, and more games in your collection if you are bored and want to play a game. There are also discounts, so you can actually buy a game if you are interested, and more payment methods than one, so they won't necessarily will ask for your credit card too.
That doesn't have anything to do with what I said you know?
The entire goal of those free games and discounts(which are not without their own controversies) is to build market share in other ways. They also pay for exclusivity, which itself is being eroded by xbox app due to the way that works. EGS and steam are two storefronts in the same ecosystem, steam provides a great deal of user oriented features, from the chat, profile, forum, workshop, and other stuff. EGS doesn't even have a shopping cart or significant alternate currency support. They aren't even trying to make a better product or system than steam.
That said, quantity doesn't always equal quality, and you will undoubtedly find many low-quality/almost unplayable games in the store. The varied quality makes Steam almost similar to Google Play Store, where players have more games to choose from, but the hidden gems are easily buried in all the low-quality content.
Steam is a haven for indie developers, but they struggle to gain exposure among the competition.
Check out our blog, 7 Insider Tips and Tricks to Marketing Your Video Game on Steam, to learn the best Steam game marketing strategies that will help you stand out on the platform.
On the other hand, there are fewer games on Epic, but the quality is more moderated. The collection is less extensive than Steam, but the games are of higher quality, with fewer broken and unfinished titles. Epic is also willing to pay for timed exclusives, and for some time, the Epic Games Store was the only place to play Metro Exodus and Borderlands on PC.
Regarding the user interface, both stores have a relatively clean layout. However, the Steam game user interface has more features, elements, and tags.
This also applies to its game library. Steam pairs the library with a games newsfeed to provide more information to the users. The downside of this move is that it makes the library very cluttered and difficult to navigate.
Steam also has a robust recommendation engine that suggests the titles you should try. You can read reviews, follow specific curators, or browse forums as you choose the games to play. As much as all these extra features help improve your shopping experience, they mess up the aesthetics and make the platform look cluttered.
In contrast, the Epic Games user interface features a minimalistic UI that's easy to navigate. When you click on a title, it launches, updates, or installs the game. The newsfeed is on the user's home page, making the library simple and easy to use.
Since both platforms have modern layouts, the appeal of each storefront's user interface comes down to personal taste. However, judging by their ease of use, the Epic Games platform emerges as the winner.
Fewer tabs, dropdown menus, and features make Epic's UI user-friendly, whereas Steam can be overwhelming for those using the platform for the first time.
Besides their game selection and user interface, each storefront has different strengths regarding store features and perks.
The Steam game store features include an enhanced recommendation engine that helps players find the best games. Users are presented with a curated list of game recommendations when they browse the platform.
Steam also provides mini-games for sale and has a marketplace for in-game collectibles. Community members can leave a review after playing a game, thus offering valuable feedback that helps new members gauge a particular game's quality. However, this makes the system vulnerable to review bombing, where members leave false negative reviews to hurt a competitor.
The Epic Games launcher download also has some fantastic offers for its users. The Epic Games Store features include limited-period offers on specific games that allow users to download them for free. Some of the big titles offered for free to players include GTA V, the Batman: Arkham Collection, and Alan Wake: American Nightmare.
The store also emphasizes exclusive releases where they partner with developers to release their games on Epic before they are available on other platforms.
But, even with all these features, Steam still has the upper hand because of its experience, ability to make better recommendations, and allowing users to sell and collect items.
The Epic and Steam game stores both have amazing social features like chat functionality and the ability to create a friends list. However, Steam wins this category because it has considerably better social features than the Epic Games launcher platform.
The Steam game launcher download allows users to create profiles, make posts, and share media. The platform also gives recommendations based on what your friends are playing and allows users to invite their friends to games, groups, and message boards.
Steam's forums are another impressive feature of this game store. These discussion forums allow users to share their views on specific issues and interact with players. Users can post questions in a forum to get help from other members. New members should join the New to Steam discussion forum to learn about the platform's features and find friends to play with.
Epic's social features revolve around the chat and your friends list. Users can create a profile and invite their friends to play. Another notable benefit of the platform is that it offers cross-platform support. As such, you can invite your friends to play even when they are using a different platform.
Developers looking to implement social aspects into their games should publish them on Steam to take advantage of its impressive social capabilities.
While price is an essential factor for many players, how many of us think about the money that gets to developers for their unique creations? So how do these two platforms compare regarding their prices and revenue split?
We have something of a draw on price since the stores use different pricing models. Steam has more local currencies, so its prices reflect the local market. On the other hand, Epic uses a standardized conversion model where users pay the dollar equivalent of the cost of games in their local currencies. Games are cheaper in certain regions in this scenario, but Epic sometimes sets regional price differences.
This information makes it difficult to tell which store has better prices for gamers.
If you consider the fact that Epic gives away free games from time to time, then perhaps it is better for gamers. But regarding revenue split, it has a better deal for developers. The store has a generous revenue split of 12/88. This means developers keep 88 percent of the revenues earned from their games.
On the other hand, Steam's revenue split ranges from 30/70 to 20/80, depending on sales. The 20/80 split occurs when a game makes more than $50 million.