Epic CEO says he would stop exclusivity deals “if Steam committed to a permanent 88% revenue share”
Epic CEO says he would stop exclusivity deals “if Steam committed to a permanent 88% revenue share”
In short, Tim Sweeney has called on Valve to match the Epic Games Store’s revenue split, adding that the change must come “without major strings attached”. Sweeney has called such a move a “glorious moment in the history of PC gaming”, but given the public nature of this statement, the developer clearly thinks that such a move from Valve would be unlikely.Â
So what does Sweeney mean when he says no strings attached? He wants Valve’s platform to be open, allowing developers to make their game’s interoperable across multiple stores and platforms. Furthermore, Sweeney wants to be sure a store doesn’t tax players on other platforms (like what happens between iOS and PC), that games can use any online systems that they choose for free, such as friends lists and other platform features and the games players purchase are available everywhere and lack “onerous certification requirements”. Sweeney goes as far as saying that he would “putting our (Epic’s)own games on Steam” if his requirements were met.Â
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Valve is unlikely to make Sweeney’s proposed changes, which means that Epic Games’ exclusivity hunt will continue. In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Tim Sweeney stated that the Epic Game Store is designed to “fix the supply side economics of the game business”, offering developers a fairer deal while encouraging other storefronts to follow suit.Â
So far, Steam has not responded to the Epic Games Store in any meaningful way, maintaining its 30% default revenue share, which only decreases once game sales surpass $10 million. Perhaps Valve plans to announce changes once their long-awaited Steam UI changes are implemented, though this remains to be seen. Â
You can join the discussion on Tim Sweeney’s claims that Epic Games would stop seeking exclusivity deals if Valve cleaned up their act on the OC3D Forums.Â