this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2024
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If we're getting into a more nuanced discussion, sure, there are a lot of things Steam does right, mostly because not turning into a publicly traded company allows them to not to get enshittified. But I don't like to talk about it because the internet is in a permanent circlejerk about how Steam, and Steam specifically, shouldn't be said to enjoy all the benefits of a natural monopoly, while other digital platforms with similar positions and policies get all the criticism they deserve.
Costco is public, and Epic is private. It’s an issue of genuinely responsible corporate governance, which is shockingly rare.
Everyone knows it's a problem but it's a future problem, from a certain perspective, and no one wants to upset the currently pleasant status quo.
They shouldn't be lionized for being the only game storefront that doesn't actively hate their customer base, but I suppose I get it
Yeah fair. Steam is virtually a monopoly on PC gaming. If I had to guess, it's basically because it hasn't enshittified... and that may be the one of the biggest reasons it has succeeded so far.
In an ideal world we'd get to reap these benefits forever. But I do suppose that someday something will happen, and the stability and trust that Steam has built its reputation on will crumble. Then, all the worrying about digital purchases not being real purchases is gonna catch up with all of us. That day will suck.