News Epic Games Store

Swenhir

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Apr 18, 2019
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Ah yes, the absolute best would be if users had that control other than not using the app. Apple being the only one that has even added such functionality at all to phones is why I went back to them. I wish I could just go into setting and have just one switch that blocked certain functionality. But I am good with for example today when I opened Instagram I got a window that said that Instagram wanted to track my data across other apps and surfing and gave me the ability to block it.
Exactly, and such a permission system has nothing to do with a walled garden. It's just a standard OS feature, or ought to be. You get that on Linux, and Windows has it to an extent as well. But then again, Microsoft's a hot mess these days and not living up in the least to what should be expected of an OS.
 

xinek

日本語が苦手
Apr 17, 2019
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Fully agreed on that last paragraph. I don't have an issue with walled gardens existing (as I said I think Steam itself could be described as a small walled garden inside the OS). What worries me is how expansive the walled garden can get and how much power that walled garden can give to a single company over millions or even billions of people. These are issues that supercede one's personal preference.
Yeah, my problem has always been about that -- how do you define when a company should be forced to allow other companies to use its platform? User base? Revenue? What I don't like about this Epic/Apple stuff is that litigation like this can lead to regulations and contractual norms that are just chaotic, reacting to whatever a court has done lately, where companies are still getting away with whatever they can. If you put all the R&D into building a hardware and OS platform, what are your obligations to your users? To all the business infrastructure around you that allowed you to build it (tax breaks, free software, etc). I'd rather see GDPR style top-down laws that lay out exactly what rights and responsibilities platform builders have to their customers and the general economy. How this could work worldwide is a mystery, however. Consumer education is probably a dead end, since people either don't care or don't have enough knowledge to make decisions about the technology they use.
 

NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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Also I think this might be fake, the post was deleted.
Someone on Era made a thread asking who would we prefer to win between Apple and Epic and I had to really think about it. Thi[UWSL]s is what I replied:[/UWSL]

[UWSL]Very tough choice. Ideally I would like Epic to lose and one of the other companies that sued Apple to win. But since I have to only choose between the two, ultimately, the possibility of putting an end to the walled garden model makes Epic winning the lesser evil, even though I am positive that Epic is well on the path of becoming a horrible evil itself. Well, more so than it already is.[/UWSL]

[UWSL]My line of thinking is that a decision that potentially forbids platform holders from locking down their platforms will end up protecting our interests from both Apple and Epic. [/UWSL]
Best case scenario the judge realizes how the whole thing is bullshit and reprimands both companies lmao
 

Le Pertti

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Oct 10, 2018
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Exactly, and such a permission system has nothing to do with a walled garden. It's just a standard OS feature, or ought to be. You get that on Linux, and Windows has it to an extent as well. But then again, Microsoft's a hot mess these days and not living up in the least to what should be expected of an OS.
Yeah I guess I connect iOS so much with the App Store. I actually completely agree. That I should be able to have any app I want on it but that the OS in itself is super strict and gives me full overview and control over what happens.
 

Kyougar

No reviews, no Buy
Nov 2, 2018
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Someone on Era made a thread asking who would we prefer to win between Apple and Epic and I had to really think about it. Thi[UWSL]s is what I replied:[/UWSL]

[UWSL]Very tough choice. Ideally I would like Epic to lose and one of the other companies that sued Apple to win. But since I have to only choose between the two, ultimately, the possibility of putting an end to the walled garden model makes Epic winning the lesser evil, even though I am positive that Epic is well on the path of becoming a horrible evil itself. Well, more so than it already is.[/UWSL]

[UWSL]My line of thinking is that a decision that potentially forbids platform holders from locking down their platforms will end up protecting our interests from both Apple and Epic. [/UWSL]
My ideal scenario would be the following:
  • You are allowed to retain your walled garden if you don't actively release competing products in the store. You are only the gardener supervising the products and the social and software integration of apps that are used to enhance the shopping or usage of the products in your store.
  • You also can't have investments from corporations that are releasing products in your store, and you can't invest in corporations that release in your store.
  • If you want to continue to compete in your own store with your own products, you must allow other stores/payment processors into your store.
  • (as long as the product is also available to buy from you.)
 

Alexandros

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Nov 4, 2018
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So, if I understand it corretly, there's a fairly reasonable chance some devs will never see a cent from egs since they will forever be paying the MG they got upfront.
It's hard to say who is robbing who but they all clearly deserve each other.
Yeah, it seems that from July 2019 and onwards EGS exclusives have a lifetime clause on making back the minimum guarantee. So it is quite possible that some developers will never make any money on EGS beyond that first moneyhat. Pretty funny.
 
Dec 5, 2018
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There are two new columns:

I knew that most people claim free games and never play them (this is not exclusive of the EGS) but that ratio ...

Wait, so a game has to be exclusive on EGS until it has made the MG? If it never makes that money then it is forever locked into the store?
No, it just means that you're not making money from the EGS UNTIL they're paid back (which there's the possibility that never happens).
 

Alexandros

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By the way, this lifetime minimum guarantee recoup clause might explain why some developers stopped mentioning EGS on Twitter anymore after they released their games on Steam. If you signed a deal with Epic and at the end of the exclusivity period you are still far from achieving the necessary amount to start making money from every sale, you are far better off funneling your customers to Steam and making money than funneling them to EGS and paying back Epic.
 

Nabs

Hyper˗Toxic Pro˗Consumer
Oct 23, 2018
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Damn. So the Old World devs replying "Who knows!" might not be bullshit :grimacing-face:
 
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Mor

Me llamo Willy y no hice la mili, pero vendo Chili
Sep 7, 2018
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So it's even worst than I thought since they still are replying to people asking for the Steam version like this:


God what a situation. I better just forget about this game and move on.
That's because they are not permanent at all, if they were they would answer like Airborne Kingdom (which is a permanent exclusive and it's not listed btw) with a direct "no, we are a full EGS exclusive" and that's it.
 

bobnowhere

Careful Icarus
Sep 20, 2018
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I imagine the list of under performing titles is long and extensive. It's no surprise that many devs get a one and done deal and no more exclusives.


 
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Paul

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Jan 26, 2019
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Soulstorm is never going to gog, steam, anywhere? That moneyhat better have been substantial. Kinda funny given the theme of the game.
 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
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By the way, this lifetime minimum guarantee recoup clause might explain why some developers stopped mentioning EGS on Twitter anymore after they released their games on Steam. If you signed a deal with Epic and at the end of the exclusivity period you are still far from achieving the necessary amount to start making money from every sale, you are far better off funneling your customers to Steam and making money than funneling them to EGS and paying back Epic.
I completely missed that implication, great point.

Amazing footgun really.
 

Ge0force

Excluding exclusives
Jan 12, 2019
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Do we have enough data now to calculate how many games sold less than the minimum guarantee? I'm really curious about that.
 
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Swenhir

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Ooblets signed for a lifetime? Damn that's even more scummy than I imagined, given the kickstarter and following communication debacle.
Yeah, it seems that from July 2019 and onwards EGS exclusives have a lifetime clause on making back the minimum guarantee. So it is quite possible that some developers will never make any money on EGS beyond that first moneyhat. Pretty funny.
Seems the free lunch is over.
 
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kio

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Apr 19, 2019
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Seems the free lunch is over.
Not necessarily. Even though they have to payback they can still have their free lunch, they just need to make it last a year. After a year has passed, deploy a patch and maybe some new content or balancing and re-release it as "definitive edition" everywhere else. It's actually a pretty simple get-rich-quick scheme when you look at it.
It's also quite funny the fact epic behaves like a loanshark or mob boss in these deals.
 
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Swenhir

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Not necessarily. Even though they have to payback they can still have their free lunch, they just need to make it last a year. After a year has passed, deploy a patch and maybe some new content or balancing and re-release it as "definitive edition" everywhere else. It's actually a pretty simple get-rich-quick scheme when you look at it.
It's also quite funny the fact epic behaves like a loanshark or mob boss in these deals.
That's not wrong but I can't help think that Epic has a brain and will try to get around it. The goal is after all to prevent sales on Steam.
 
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Swenhir

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It's still a free lunch, if as a developer you assume the EGS is a barren desert where no one is buying games anyway. You get paid, wait for a year, and then still get paid by your normal customers, albeit at a reduced price.
True, that's a good point!
 
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Alexandros

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Those would be what the Epic guy called "second party", so fully funded development by Epic. He said those are expected to be "lifetime exclusives".
 
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Arc

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I was listening to the testimony for a bit and I believe I heard Allison say that Fall Guys would be exclusive. Not exactly a big surprise, but that's confirmation.