The Outer Worlds Is The Latest Game To Abandon Steam (For A Year)

63 responses to “The Outer Worlds Is The Latest Game To Abandon Steam (For A Year)”

1. 

   Malkie

   March 21, 2019 at 10:17 am

   SERIOUSLY! You’re pooping in my windsock willis. I was really looking forward to this. I have steam.. 13 damned years. Blizzard for just as long cause warcraft and starcraft is totes a thing.

   I now have ubisoft for 1 damned game and not even happy, i have bethesda launcher cause freaking fallout 76 “now all my credibility is gone” so that makes a grand total of 4 launchers…

   I get the reason to do so.. opening the market yada yada… But come on people… I can’t do exodus because no steam.. now this?! Next thing you’ll say oh we’re removing games FROM steam and.. Oh crap no no don’t read that NO GETTING IDEAS!

   Reply
   1. 

      illusionnist

      March 21, 2019 at 4:05 pm

      4 and you think thats bad?

      Origin, Uplay, Steam, GOG, epic, battlenet, league, eso online and bethesda once the new wolfenstein is out.

      But here is the thing I would buy all my games from these store because it will help publishers since the money will flow directly to them. It is a pain but it is good for the industry. If steam was the only thing then steam gets a cut for selling but that is a loss for the game makers. While inconvient it always better buy games from the publishers directly.

      Epic because they game devs get a bigger cut than steam.

      Reply
      1. 

         illexi

         March 23, 2019 at 5:03 pm

         congratulations your more oppressed by launchers thank malkie and because your more oppressed it’s now all good he doesn’t find this shit annoying anymore.

         as to your defense of the anti consumer (consumer is you btw) behavior of epic because it benefits the industry you have totally missed the point. nobody gives a dead mooses last shit if epic sells games cheaper than steam or gives devs a bigger cut you nincompoop, people are pissed off at the Epic for buying up games and removing competition from the market.

         you think Epic is good for the industry and if they were just honestly competing on price and the cut they take for using their platform you would be right but they are actively avoiding competition and fucking us in the process.

         and the game devs your swooning over are just as guilty not only are they taking the payout from epic but they are making it exclusive in the hopes they can force consumers onto epic and get a bigger cut, yet your making the case that steam is greedy.

         get some perspective

         Reply
   2. 

      mad_danny

      March 21, 2019 at 4:54 pm

      maybe they’ll go the Rockstar or Ubisoft route and eventually start adding games to Steam, but forcing users to onion skin through multiple launchers to try to start them

      Reply
   3. 

      idonegaminggood

      March 21, 2019 at 6:34 pm

      And?
      Use windows if you don’t want to use epic, but who cares if it’s steam or not?

      Other than brand loyalty there is no reason why you should be frothing at the mouth.

      It is available on the same day, and just as easy to get as it would have been.

      Reply
      1. 

         illexi

         March 23, 2019 at 5:29 pm

         well done

         you either don’t understand y people are mad or your just another steam hater shilling for epic.

         it doesn’t matter if it is available on every single other store apart form steam, any exclusivity is anti consumer.

         you might think it’s stupid for people to want all of there games on steam and not have to use any other launcher but that should be his choice, removing the choice by selling exclusively on certain platfroms is the issue and that is waht is pissing people off.

         Epic is not willing to compete fairly in the market and now it appears windows is the same they are trying to force you to use there platform, it’s actually even worse coming from Epic who have made a big deal out of selling games cheaper than steam and not taking as large a cut from devs, which people like you fall for and totally buy into the idea that steam is being greedy when the real greed is from the devs who are now not only taking a payout from epic to be exclusive but are also doing it to try and force consumers onto a platform that gives them a larger cut instead of giving them choice.

         i realise there are a lot of people who have issues with steam and some are falling for this marketing bullshit from Epic, but just because you don’t care what store you have to use doesn’t mean your right, i can’t imagine being so up myself that i think a decision i make is therefore some kind of universal truth and anybody that doesn’t want to make the same decision is somehow defective or stupid.

         Reply
         1. 

            idonegaminggood

            March 24, 2019 at 9:34 am

            It’s not exclusive.

            It’s available on two competing platforms, just not steam.

            You’re only angry because of brand loyalty.

            Reply
            1. 

               illexi

               March 30, 2019 at 1:12 pm

               right…

               so everyone who wants to buy their games and keep their library in one place is just a moron who is incapable of recognising they are trapped with brand loyalty.

               but you who can’t even see that epic is specifically targeting steam with these exclusivity deals because the epic store is a pile of shit that is worse by every metric, in fact to find any positives you have to spin this shit like you work for the Clinton’s, “curated store” also known as “we have less games but that is fine we can trick the gullible by saying we have a curated store”. Review bombing is such a horrible inhumane act how are you going to fix the review system Epic, stillbirth…..well done.

               Curated store?? curated by who an unpaid intern working part time?

               your argument is, well Microsoft store so no exclusivity!
               Only problem with your impeccable logic is that most people who prefer steam for whatever reason over Epic have the exact same reason to not use Microsoft over steam, people are literally telling you reasons they prefer to stick with steam over Epic and that these exclusive deals are pissing them off, all you see are people not clever enough to avoid the “brand loyalty trap”. Honestly i can’t be bothered explaining to you how your wrong and it is absolutely an exclusive deal it’s already explained in this comment section like 10 times, go read through it again maybe this time it will break through.

               You say i’m only angry because of brand loyalty like i’m some kind of stupid sheep while simultaneously being an actual sheep that falls for this blatant stunt.

               Add Microsoft in the dumb ones will believe us when we say it’s not exclusive.

               well done you are exactly the kind of person you show disdain for.

   4. 

      stormo

      March 21, 2019 at 6:44 pm

      Yeah the time Microsoft dictates that all games must be sold and launched through its store can’t come soon enough, really.

      Reply
2. 

   camm

   March 21, 2019 at 10:28 am

   Eh, was likely going to buy on X1X\Windows Store for crossplay anyway.

   Reply
3. 

   friedant

   March 21, 2019 at 10:33 am

   Ah well, plenty to play for a year before I get to this then.

   On the plus side when it drops on steam I can just wait another month or two for a 30-40% discount. So even less money for the developer.

   Reply
4. 

   luke

   March 21, 2019 at 10:42 am

   Oh, that’s a shame.

   I certainly hope Epic aren’t putting all their eggs into the “Fortnite will be a success forever and ever” basket, the moment it dies the moment the store dies.

   Reply
   1. 

      grunt

      March 21, 2019 at 12:28 pm

      I think its the other way around, and they’re using the money from Fortnite to make a more consistent revenue stream. They know its a flash in the pan, but the windfall gain from that is massive enough they can do this. Valve did pretty much the same thing when they set up Steam.

      In theory, its a good idea. In practice, they’re borking the people that end up paying the bills – us.

      Reply
      1. 

         luke

         March 22, 2019 at 11:04 am

         From what i have read somewhere, the Epic store runs at a loss but Epic rely on the revenue coming from Fortnite to pick up that slack but what happens when Fortnite is inevitably overtaken by the latest and greatest thing? the store will still be making a loss that no revenue stream is covering.

         The reason publishers are abandoning steam is because of the profit share Epic has, 88% of profit goes to the publisher/ dev, this is unsustainable, and once Fortnite dies is the minute their store just becomes another storefront that barely makes any more profit than Steam.

         Reply
         1. 

            grunt

            March 22, 2019 at 11:40 am

            Yeah, get that. I’m not in favour of Epic, but I can see what they’re trying to do. Fortnite gave them a massive amount of capital, and they’re doing something with it to put them in a better position long term.

            They will have gotten enough to ride a few months of losses as well, so that will be the tipping point. To pick an arbitrary date, will their income from the store be enough to pay for itself by Christmas?

            We wont know until then. I don’t think Fortnite will just die overnight though, it has plenty of people still logging in to play.

            Reply
5. 

   daynoz

   March 21, 2019 at 10:45 am

   It sucks. As a gamer and PC gamer at that, it can be a hard pill to swallow that EPIC is aggressively and successfully attracting these games to their service as timed exclusives.
   I only wish Steam would fight harder for our loyalty. Can they not adjust their take to be more competitive with EPIC? I have decided to wait for Metro, and I will wait another 12 months for this. But it honestly gets harder with every announcement.

   Reply
   1. 

      germinalconsequence

      March 21, 2019 at 11:22 am

      The fight isn’t on the consumer front though, it’s on the developer front. Epic is competing for developer exclusivity so it can lock in consumers rather than gain their loyalty. If they wanted our loyalty then they would be offering competitive prices and better services.

      Adjusting the developer take to be competitive is not the way though because as GOG is finding out that just leaves the storefront provider without the money to support themselves. Epic has two other money makers, the Unreal Engine and Fortnite to subsidise what they would be losing in game sales, something I’m not sure Steam has.

      Something it does show though is that developers are greedy enough to sign away a year of potential sales on other platforms just for a bigger slice of a sale and virtually free store space. Consumers and storefronts on the other hand, get screwed royally.

      Reply
      1. 

         transientmind

         March 21, 2019 at 11:57 am

         Yeah, Epic’s intial pitch to developers was talking about not having reviews, discussions/forums, automatic refunds, and other consumer-friendly features like it was somehow a positive thing.

         Epic store is telling me, as a consumer, that they think developers are getting a raw deal and the best way to help devs is to fuck consumers.

         So… fuck them right back.

         Reply
      2. 

         thyco

         March 21, 2019 at 1:33 pm

         in this case and in the case of metro exodus, its not even the developers that have signed on but the publishers (Deep Silver and Take2). They wont see a single cent from the extra 18% as that and the 2-40million USD that gets offered goes straight to the publisher unless you are developer who is self publishing

         Reply
      3. 

         illexi

         March 23, 2019 at 6:01 pm

         i find the whole argument about devs cut of the sale to be interesting because from what i remember there was almost nobody complaining about steams business model being unfair or greedy until epic came out deciding to offer a “better deal”.

         if that is right and it hasn’t been a problem before i propose that epic is trying to capitalise on the indoctrination of people into this equality bullshit, ma wage gap etc.

         get some of the sheep to shop with us by appearing to prostate at the alter of equality, or you know maybe i’m seeing shit that aint there because these types of people seem to be infiltrating and fucking up every other aspect of life on planet earth at the moment.

         Reply
   2. 

      matt1234

      March 21, 2019 at 2:55 pm

      At what point would it end though? EPIC will just drop theirs even more

      Reply
6. 

   transientmind

   March 21, 2019 at 10:53 am

   I’m amused by the industry’s apparent ‘have your cake and eat it, too’ attitude towards the exact definition of an ‘exclusive’.

   Based on how the word was used at the last E3, if it’s a timed exclusive on a platform you own, it’s proudly advertised to that audience as an ‘exclusive’.

   If you’re not on that platform and are mad about it then it’s ‘not an exclusive’.

   As if it”s still the 20th century and you can talk to two different audiences and pretend one party won’t hear what you just said to the other. Like players vs investors.

   “It’s pretty simple: any time I say something and it offends you, it was just a prank, bra.”

   Reply
   1. 

      morgendorfer

      March 21, 2019 at 12:44 pm

      “it’s not an exclusive, it’s also on the Windows Store” … like making it available in 2 places I don’t want to buy from makes it so much better. Ah, well, guess I’ll be waiting the extra 12 months. At least by then we’ll know if it really is good or not.

      Reply
      1. 

         mad_danny

         March 21, 2019 at 4:34 pm

         don’t Epic have an arrangement with Humble as well now? – now it seems that their idea of exclusivity is less ‘only available on our storefront’ and more ‘available on every storefront except that one we are explicitly exempting in an attempt to both mine and undermine their user base’

         Reply
   2. 

      illexi

      March 23, 2019 at 6:14 pm

      bra is not my preferred pronoun

      hate speech……

      Reply
7. 

   miak

   March 21, 2019 at 11:05 am

   It’s only fitting they’re buddying up with Microsoft for timed exclusives. Learning from the master I guess. Pretty soon I won’t be buying anything gaming-related from Epic either.

   Reply
8. 

   mr_scratch

   March 21, 2019 at 11:13 am

   I don’t trust people to vote with their wallet with this sort of thing, it’s really the only way to send a message.

   Don’t like this practice? Don’t buy or use the Epic store

   Reply
   1. 

      transientmind

      March 21, 2019 at 12:16 pm

      (Apart from scabbing the free games.)

      Reply
      1. 

         grunt

         March 22, 2019 at 10:09 am

         That’s me!

         PSA: Oxenfree goes up for free today. Fun little game, worth the price.

         Their free games are a little hit and miss, but started with a bang with Subnautica, so was worth the look. I don’t like their approach in general, but free is free. So I’m voting with my wallet – those freebies will be costing them something, and maybe its on a per download basis.

         Reply
         1. 

            transientmind

            March 22, 2019 at 11:50 am

            Yeah, I’ve already got Oxenfree through Humble monthly (thus: Steam) and Twitch Prime, but I got the notification this morning and added it to my Epic library. They certainly won’t be getting dinged by me for the free games.

            It’s especially generous compared to other stores, in fact, in that there’s no subscription required (PS+, Twitch Prime) and it’s not tied to buying something (Humble, GOG).

            Reply
   2. 

      thyco

      March 21, 2019 at 1:39 pm

      thats the only thing to. When boycotting you dont even pirate as that gives a company ammo to blame poor sales on that instead of the actual issues.
      It like when EA won the Golden Turd award 3 years in row, they blamed that on Pearl Clutches hating EA for having gay and lesbian characters in their games, and not their shit services and extremely terrible business practises and buying up studioes and closing them once they have worked the death

      Reply
      1. 

         transientmind

         March 21, 2019 at 1:45 pm

         When boycotting you dont even pirate as that gives a company ammo to blame poor sales on that instead of the actual issues.

         Never underestimate the capacity of the beancounters to discount the actual problem and blame something else. If you don’t buy from Epic AND don’t pirate, they’ll just say the game wasn’t popular enough, and blame the devs for not making a good game, or marketing for not generating enough interest. They’ll decide there wasn’t enough pressure to preorder for exclusive in-game rewards, etc.

         Reply
         1. 

            piratepete

            March 21, 2019 at 2:32 pm

            Besides games are pirated no matter what, if the ratio of piracy to sales is far worse for games that are exclusive to epic that will show that the issue is where it’s being sold.

            Time to dust off the old eye patch!

            Reply
         2. 

            grunt

            March 22, 2019 at 10:16 am

            You can use stats to show anything. I proved Captain Marvel was the worst MCU movie to date with stats. I wasn’t wrong, and if I wasn’t wrong, I must be right. Right?

            FYI, that stat was domestic US take, adjusted for inflation. So after the first weekend it was still 21st of 21 movies. Making it technically the worst performing MCU movie… That has since changed by quite a bit, but was correct at the time.

            I’ve worked with stats long enough to know that most of the time they can be used to tell whatever story you want. You just have to find the right information to hang everything off. Its why the Liberals still think they’re a chance in a Federal election… They’re smashing it in the 60-65 year old crocheting grandmothers demographic*, which they can extrapolate out to mean everyone.

            *I don’t know if they are or if that’s even a thing (doubt it), its a random thing.

            Reply
            1. 

               illexi

               March 23, 2019 at 6:32 pm

               haven’t the libs had power for 2 terms?

               they haven’t got a good chance of winning purely because after 2 terms you have to fight against the “time for a change” crowd, a lot of people after 2 terms end up voting for the opposition because they have 2 terms worth of shit to sling at the government and many people just wan’t to try something different. that is an uphill battle that isn’t regularly beaten it seems.

   3. 

      illexi

      March 23, 2019 at 6:21 pm

      should reserve some contempt for the people saying they will pirate the games now, which i do understand your giving epic the finger, but if you don’t buy it on steam then Epic is still winning because they denied steam the sale and that’s half the reason they buy these exclusives to begin with.

      Reply
9. 

   Dirtyshado

   March 21, 2019 at 12:37 pm

   I refuse to use Epic cause the games are more expensive due to the USD to AUD exchange rate.

   Also Steam Key stores have dine a far better job giving players a better price than Epic has.

   Reply
10. 

    mr_scratch

    March 21, 2019 at 12:42 pm

    Competition is usually a great thing, but this isn’t competition. Epic aren’t offering a better alternative, they’re offering malware and moneyhatting a bunch of games.

    Reply
    1. 

       travisnew87

       March 21, 2019 at 6:03 pm

       What Malware are you referring to? I use the Epic launcher for development and buying items through their store and have no idea what this Spyware/Malware argument people are talking about?

       Reply
       1. 

          transientmind

          March 21, 2019 at 7:05 pm

          I had no idea either, til I saw people making the accusation here.

          Did a bit of a search and found this: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/epic-promises-to-fix-game-launcher-after-privacy-concerns/ Includes some reddit links, and Valve/Epic statements/updates post-article-publishing.

          Seeeeeems to me a lot like Epic wanted to allow friend-list import features to help transition Steam users to Epic, but they didn’t want to use Steam’s APIs for it (I assume because they didn’t want to use a channel that Valve can monitor), and instead grabbed that data off a different non-API spot locally that just happens to contain a buttload of other user data. (From my own experience working with automated data imports, I personally believe them when they swear they weren’t collecting all that other data, but it’s hard to agree their intentions were noble.)

          Reply
          1. 

             travisnew87

             March 21, 2019 at 8:04 pm

             This is not Malware/Spyware and to categorise it as such you confuse the subject matter for the non-tech literate. Imagine tech luddite parents reading articles titles “Epic loaded with Malware/Spyware…etc” and then thinking games will infect their computers. Non-tech people won’t understand the context and will only think it is bad. Heaps of applications do this, I’ve assisted with doing this for apps, deployment, and reporting features, it’s common practice.

             Reply
             1. 

                transientmind

                March 21, 2019 at 9:25 pm

                Hey, I didn’t say it was malware, just pointed you to where that claim probably came from. (And pointed out I reckon it’s pretty benign but also dodgy.)

             2. 

                zombiejesus

                March 22, 2019 at 8:29 am

                Collecting information from another process through non-public means and without consent is the definition of spyware. It’s also illegal under the Australian Crimes Act 1900. Consent must precede any copying or reading of the content of the file.

             3. 

                travisnew87

                March 23, 2019 at 12:01 am

                Welcome to the internet where literally every business is collecting data on internal-users and non-users to create product and marketing trends. Also, I just checked the Australia Crimes Act of 1900 with the latest version of 5th December 2018 and the word Spy, Spyware, Malware, and Virus isn’t mentioned anywhere. So I don’t think you’re telling the whole truth here. Much like any company that says they don’t do these same practices.

                https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1900-40/current/pdf/1900-40.pdf

             4. 

                zombiejesus

                March 23, 2019 at 9:05 am

                I should have been more clear that the act I was talking about is state legislation; there is no federal Crimes Act 1900. The NSW Crimes Act 1900 section 308H is clear that a developer who deliberately accesses or modifies restricted data, knowing that action is unauthorised, is guilty of an offence. It’s clarified in 308B that a person causes unauthorised access if their conduct substantially contributes to that unauthorised access, meaning it applies to the developer of software, not just the executing user. Restricted access applies to all files on a computer that are not explicitly made available for public access. Most other states have similar legislation.

                The federal Criminal Code Act 1995, division 476-478 has similar law. 476.2 contains the definitions of unauthorised access, including the same expansion to anyone who substantially contributes to access. 478.1 states that a person commits an offence if they cause unauthorised access to, or modification of, restricted data, where restricted data follows the same definition as NSW state legislation and applies to all files on a computer that are not explicitly made available for public access.

                If you have been accessing data on a user’s computer without their prior authorisation, you may be guilty of a state or federal offence, both of which carry a two year term of imprisonment. I strongly advise you to seek legal advice before continuing. If your software or web service can be used in the EU, then you need to be aware of GDPR because its reach does not stop at EU borders and you can be charged with an offence even if you’re not physically in the EU. Many companies will pay to have legal experts conduct a privacy seminar, including GDPR compliance. I’ve attended three of these over my twenty-and-change year career in software development.

11. 

    mr_scratch

    March 21, 2019 at 12:42 pm

    Competition is usually a great thing, but this isn’t competition. Epic aren’t offering a better alternative, they’re offering malware and moneyhatting a bunch of games.

    Reply
12. 

    Sephiroth was right winged

    March 21, 2019 at 1:06 pm

    Yeh epic sucks, they obviously don’t think very highly of consumers.
    The exclusivity purchasing is a very short term tactic. It’s not sustainable in the long run.

    Reply
13. 

    adman17

    March 21, 2019 at 2:02 pm

    OOOOOOOOHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh maaaaannnnnnnnnnn… I was looking forward to this. First I have to miss out on Metro Exodus until it comes to steam, and now this. Luckily I have an extensive Steam backlog of games I sort of want to play, so that I can wait for the games I really want to play to come to Steam.

    Reply
14. 

    matt1234

    March 21, 2019 at 3:00 pm

    So they don’t mind paying the steam cut in a years time though? So stupid.
    Have it on both platforms, and make money from both platforms.
    Sure you might make more money from one than another on a per sale basis but you easily make that up and then some by having it available in another market.

    Ubisoft still have their games on steam as well as uPlay – and that’s their own damn store.
    If they can do it, so can everyone else, its just dumb.

    Reply
15. 

    pokedad

    March 21, 2019 at 3:06 pm

    So… is there any actual evidence to the sudden EPIC IS MALWARE that I keep seeing? Or is this just the exact same thing as when Steam, Origin, and Uplay launched and everyone hated the new one for reasons they eventually just kinda forgot about?

    Reply
    1. 

       mad_danny

       March 21, 2019 at 4:24 pm

       see recent articles about the Epic launcher secretly grabbing info from detected Steam installations (separate to the opt-in option for friends list sharing)

       Reply
       1. 

          randomchance

          March 21, 2019 at 7:26 pm

          So like NVIDIA drivers scan everywhere looking for game installs to “optimise”?

          Reply
       2. 

          pokedad

          March 22, 2019 at 12:20 am

          Yeah ok. So this is going to be just like that time we all realised Facebook and Google were collecting data we didn’t know about and we all stopped using them because our outrage is logical and consistent.

          Reply
16. 

    lichbane

    March 21, 2019 at 3:28 pm

    What’s the problem? It’s coming to PC. The way Valve has dicked around Aussies, Steam can die in a bucket, for all I care. Valve are not angels. Steam is not the holy grail of gaming. They burned ally good will long ago.

    Reply
    1. 

       transientmind

       March 21, 2019 at 4:01 pm

       Nah, this is like claiming that we shouldn’t shit on Sony for blocking cross-play when Microsoft did exactly the same thing back when they were king of the hill.

       Work off the current state of things. And right now, Epic is trying to woo developers by saying that they won’t be including all of the consumer-friendly features of Steam, because consumer-friendliness is bad for developers.

       Valve might not be angels, but they’re the lesser evil, right now. If anything deserves to die in a bucket, it’s the greater evil, which is Epic.

       Reply
       1. 

          travisnew87

          March 21, 2019 at 6:06 pm

          I honestly cannot fathom what is so evil about a business(Epic) incentivising developers with a greater revenue share and consumers having 1 more launcher on someone PC’s. All my launchers auto-start on Windows and then I just play whatever I want to play. I got 4 consoles set up to my entertainment center and the same idea, pop in what disc/game I want to play.

          Reply
          1. 

             transientmind

             March 21, 2019 at 6:46 pm

             The ‘greater evil’ is that they want to protect devs from the consumer-friendly features of user reviews, forums/discussion groups, automated refunds, etc.

             If it was just all else equal, you add another launcher, then why would anyone give a shit? But that’s not what they’re selling.

             Reply
             1. 

                randomchance

                March 21, 2019 at 6:59 pm

                Huh?
                http://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/03/epic-games-store-development-roadmap-includes-wishlists-mod-support-cloud-saves-more

             2. 

                transientmind

                March 21, 2019 at 7:18 pm

                As always, the devil is in the details. The ‘opt-in’ nature of the improvements is important. The ‘protect devs from consumer-friendly features’ point remains. It was their selling point – they were proud of it.

                (Automated refunds being on the trello is new to me, though. Wonder what kind of restrictions they’ll place on it, and if that’s another ‘opt-in’…)

             3. 

                akeashar

                March 22, 2019 at 5:56 pm

                If there was anything bad going on involving refunds, the ACCC should be on them (if anyone has bothered to complain). It’s always worth pointing out that Steam only has refunds at all really because they were dragged kicking and screaming to court and lost.

                Also, given the plague of non relevant review bombing that Valve is promising to ‘deal with’, I’m happy going to third party sites for reviews. Lots of the ones on steam tend to be irrelevant or outdated.

17. 

    darath

    March 21, 2019 at 6:28 pm

    Why did some people mention spyware associated with the Epic Store? Aren’t they just a storefront like Steam or GOG?

    Reply
    1. 

       transientmind

       March 21, 2019 at 6:51 pm

       Yeah, I hadn’t heard that one until today. News to me.

       Quick Googling gave me this: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/epic-promises-to-fix-game-launcher-after-privacy-concerns/
       Epic Games has responded to multiple accusations saying that their Epic Games Launcher is scanning for and collecting users’ Steam information without first requesting permission.
       As detailed by Daniel Vogel, VP of Engineering at Epic Games, in the Reddit thread where the gamers’ concerns were first expressed, the Epic Games Store client “makes an encrypted local copy of your localconfig.vdf Steam file. However information from this file is only sent to Epic if you choose to import your Steam friends, and then only hashed ids of your friends are sent and no other information from the file.”
       Vogel also stated that the Epic Games Launcher is also designed to track some user behavior, as well as to send some select information to the company’s servers, but nothing that is not covered by the program’s privacy policy or that would be considered privacy invasion.

       Seems like it’s probably a non-issue… or possibly very sketchy, given that they’re saying it’s nothing that violates the terms and conditions you agree to on using the program, that you totally, absolutely, 100% read in detail and would not be horrified by at all.

       Reply
    2. 

       transientmind

       March 21, 2019 at 6:56 pm

       The very neatest tl;dr I can figure: Epic launcher scoops up a whole bunch of your Steam activity, but Epic pinky-swears it doesn’t get sent to them unless you specifically import your Steam friend list into Epic launcher, and even then it only collects the friend info.

       Valve says it’s looking for that stuff in the wrong place, that there are appropriate API channels they open to all third parties to get that kind of stuff. Epic says they don’t want to use that channel because they feel it’s more prone to grabbing more information than intended… as opposed to this other unauthorized technique they’re using.

       Smells fishy. Like they wanted to get this stuff without Valve knowing they were getting it.

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       1. 

          zombiejesus

          March 22, 2019 at 8:44 am

          Sweeney’s response is technical nonsense on all counts.

          1. Third party libraries have nothing to do with what Epic is trying to do. Steam has a web API that provides this kind of information, if the user has chosen to make it public. No local library needed whatsoever.

          2. The Epic launcher is the consumer of Valve’s API, it can only ‘collect more data than expected’ if they ask for that data in the first place. His statement might excuse not wanting to be the provider of an API (and watch as they trot that reason out later to justify why they won’t have an Epic platform API), but it has zero to do with being a consumer.

          Reply