Apart from Humble Monthly, I think maybe all but one game I've bought this year was Epic exclusive. Unless Valve decides to get off it's monopoly laurels, I would expect that to be the new default in PC game launches going forward. Epic's offer is just so much more compelling than Valve's. And it sounds like they should have the tools to roll out onboarding a lot more games ready this year, so they'll probably have a large wave of non-exclusives as well.
I would always assume anything you crowdfund will disappoint you in some way. Plans change. When you crowdfund, expect the general direction, not the exact outcome.
Valve hasn't been resting on their laurels, they've been doing a lot more for gaming than Epic has. They've been doing a lot of work on Proton to allow more people on Linux to play games, plus their "Remote Play Together" that lets you play local multiplayer games with friends over the internet. The EGS is so barebones that people have to go on the Steam forums to get tech support questions, not to mention that they don't have a Linux client, and their limited availability in some countries means that paying for exclusivity prevents some people from being able to play the game.
It can't be overstated how big of a game changer Proton is. You can use it outside of Steam but if it weren't for Valve we wouldn't have it.
Prior to Proton, gaming on Linux was hit or miss. Many games never worked, some worked like crap, some required convoluted incantations of Wine settings and specific game versions and then only on every second Sunday.
Now? I install games via Steam's normal interface and 90% of the time it just works. And most of those that don't work use some non-Steam DRM that won't run under Proton.
A bonus point is that it reports your usage as running under Linux so publishers and devs get accurate numbers for how big their potential market is on Linux which is good in the long run for getting native Linux games.
Steam has never been a monopoly, except for the online sale of PC games developed by Valve. On the other hand, among the online video games marketplace, it has enjoyed a situation of market dominance.
88/12 revenue split vs Steam's 70/30. But you also get more visibility from being on a less crowded, less junky storefront.
And although it's unlikely to continue too much longer, Epic has set an interesting precedent with funding $10-off coupons during sales out of their own pocket. If you're at the classic $15-25 indie game price point, there's a nice possibility there for your customer to get $10 off and you to still get your full cut.
On the other hand, because of the curation, niche games can't really get on Epic, so we can only get those on Steam (or GOG for some). But yeah, discoverability is pretty bad on Steam, I don't think I've ever browsed the shop to look for games to buy, I always arrived to the store either to buy or check a game.
And all of that is before you mention their incentives for timed exclusive launches, which I believe often amounts to a revenue guarantee on your projected sales, and I think they deliver it up front.
So a cash-strapped game developer can go into the final stages of their game launch pre-paid and knowing they're already fiscally on track before it's even out. For indies that's a no-brainer.
Interesting phrasing, as indies aren't getting onto the storefront at all without accepting timed exclusivity. It's not an option that can be taken, it is mandatory to be on the storefront unless you have enough clout to tell Epic to shove it (CDProjekt Red).
That's assuming of course that Epic chooses to accept your game in the first place. My major issue with discussions regarding the EGS is that everyone discussing it talks as if every developer has access to what it's offering, which is not the case even in the slightest.
The timed exclusive offering is a great option for indie developers, and the fact that so many have taken it seems to reflect that.
My understanding is that right now Epic's submission pipeline is very manual, there's not a lot of self-servicing. So they are focused on submissions which move the needle the most for Epic: Exclusives, free titles (also available to indies), and then AAA games. I believe they've suggested the wider release of EGS for more developers should be sometime this year.
Maybe not the exclusivity part, but it being a curated platform is very much a win from the consumer's point of view. Being good enough to be on the EGS actually means something in an age when anyone can ship their garbage on Steam or itch.io or any number of smaller storefronts.
Speak for yourself, I happen to like the idea that there isn't some arbitrary gate keeper determining what is and isn't good enough to be on their store. I'll decide what is worth my money thank you very much.
Sure, and Steam exists for that. But that's also why it's clogged with thousands of shovelware GameMaker titles, porn games, and downright scams. Discovery on Steam is completely broken.
The EGS is much more akin to a console ecosystem. You don't have to use it, except perhaps for the occasional exclusive. But lots of people feel that there is value there.
On reddit mention of the Epic Game Store brings out rabid haters. I know it's not as fully featured as Steam, has made some questionable moves (refund policies, sales without informing devs), and has quite a large stake owned by Tencent.
But then I hear that devs are getting cash up front and a bigger cut (I think it's like 85% compared to Steam's 70%) of profits. I'm happy that a developer may not need to crunch, or at least possibly not worry that if the game doesn't sell they'll be bankrupted.
I'd really like GOG to get a little better about this considering how great Galaxy 2.0 is and their general "No DRM" policy. It would become my default but Steam is still king for now
Given Epic's behaviour and reactions to people bringing up their flaws I wouldn't be surprised if they pull the carpet out beneath the devs' feet as soon as they think they have the market cornered. Right now they're slinging Fortnite money around everywhere to try to resolve all their problems but that's not a good way to earn trust.
I would always assume anything you crowdfund will disappoint you in some way. Plans change. When you crowdfund, expect the general direction, not the exact outcome.