The Future of PC Digital Distribution - Fragmentation?

pc-gaming
steam
#1

An interesting article looking at how a number of big PC games are moving to other platforms besides Steam.

Steam isn’t going anywhere, but it seems that as time goes on Steam will become less of a requirement for PC gamers. A fragmented landscape can be more confusing for customers, but healthy competition can also lead to improvements across the board. And that freedom of choice is part of the PC’s appeal to many (compared to the single store experience on consoles and mobile devices).

Do you look forward to a more fragmented future where PC gaming is not synonymous with Steam?

#2

Considering I do everything I can not to buy on Steam (I choose GoG) and just let a $2000 dollar account be closed (I had a second account with all the single player games I really care about), I think I am okay with it. I honestly hope it pushes someone more toward DRM free distribution along with maybe increasing competition to become more Linux compatible.

#3

Yeah, GOG has been a good source for getting many indie and older games as an alternative to Steam. For newer AAA games, the other stores have been getting more exclusives, but unfortunately these are often just different kinds of DRM. At least the rise of other clients weakens the argument of “all the rest of my games are in Steam, so I should buy everything from Steam” …if we’re viewing the centralisation around Steam as something undesirable.