Are you a pc gamer? Because if you are, I don't understand how you can't see Steam as a massive monopoly.
Perhaps you don't because they have done almost all GOOD with their monopoly power. Offline mode, library sharing, massive sales, etc.. but they are quite a monopoly.
If 99% of my library is on Steam, why should I bother buying somewhere else? It's just an inconvenience to me. Ok I can buy off GOG and have no DRM.... how does that really help me? I can already play it on steam with no problems, my friends can play the shared game on steam, I don't have to worry about multiple platforms etc..
Anyway- steam is a massive monopoly and we are lucky they use their powers for good!
Like Walmart or Amazon, the problem is for devs, not customers.
That is why they have been forcing exclusivity. That is the point: they are anticompetitive.
Indie game studios have a very hard time surviving.
Giving them instantaneous access to a huge pile of money that allows them to declare success even before releasing a project is something most people cannot reject.
> Anti competitive would be buying up competing battle royale franchises to reduce consumer choice.
That is what they are doing but with game stores. They are effectively buying everything to dry the rest of the stores, reducing other stores choice of customers.
> This sounds good for developers all around
Not really. Devs get money, but they lose the product. Indie devs are not independent anymore. Etc.
If Epic had success building the monopoly, everyone would have suffered, not just devs.