Bethesda's upcoming online take on the Fallout series is releasing this year, and if you pre-ordered the game, you'll be able to access the beta test that's scheduled for early October. Though details are still bare, Bethesda announced something new through the FAQ page for the beta: Fallout 76's PC version will not be launching on Valve's Steam platform. It appears as though Bethesda wishes to push its own launcher, Bethesda.net, instead of using Steam. The reveal of this follows Epic Games' choice to forgo a popular distribution service, the Google Play Store, in order to take a larger cut of profits. It is stated that this only will affect users who buy the game at launch, and it's implied that Fallout 76 will be available on the service some time after release.

If you're a PC gamer, does this impact your choice to purchase the game? Do you prefer publishers using their own game launchers, rather than just Steam?

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[tacticurn]

It's not a stupid argument, it's my prerogative. I simply refuse to buy anything from the Windows Store or Origin and STRONGLY prefer Steam. Their service is objectively the best and I don't pre-order games anyway. I have dodged a lot of bullets this way. So no, I will not be buying the game till later and it is on Steam. The issue is none of these publishers know how to make a good client or have decent speed. If they get their shit together, I would have a different opinion. Again, it's objectively not stupid, it is my choice and is unconscionable to begrudge anyone for not agreeing with your subjective opinion.

Who preorders anyways, right? I mean guys, come on, we saw through that preordering ruse years ago. Pay upfront when the game is out. (Oh, Metroid Prime 4 coming out? ... gotta ... preeee-ordeeer)

After steam was ubilolosoft and Origin, now another one yeah right... I wonder when will every single god damn indie dev out there make their own private launcher so every game needs a new bloody blootware software on the background.
I think is enough already, I already have shitty PB, EasyAntiCheat, BattlEye, Steam, Origin, Ubilolosoft........ FFS

Problem is that Marketing gets a say in it, so they want the launcher as a trojan horse on your system. Nothing prevents these ***holes from making a stand-alone launcher for each game. Just like in the old days, where you opened START menu and then clicked the game. They could do that, you know. They could ... but would they?

 

[netovsk]

idgaf about steam's well being, but I'd like to know how exactly does this benefit the players?

 

[Song of storms]

It's not a stupid argument, it's my prerogative. I simply refuse to buy anything from the Windows Store or Origin and STRONGLY prefer Steam. Their service is objectively the best and I don't pre-order games anyway. I have dodged a lot of bullets this way. So no, I will not be buying the game till later and it is on Steam. The issue is none of these publishers know how to make a good client or have decent speed. If they get their shit together, I would have a different opinion. Again, it's objectively not stupid, it is my choice and is unconscionable to begrudge anyone for not agreeing with your subjective opinion.

What's the issue with Windows Store games though?

 

[tacticurn]

Who preorders anyways, right? I mean guys, come on, we saw through that preordering ruse years ago. Pay upfront when the game is out. (Oh, Metroid Prime 4 coming out? ... gotta ... preeee-ordeeer)

idgaf about steam's well being, but I'd like to know how exactly does this benefit the players?

It isn't. As it introduces Yet Another Game Launcher to Windows, without any clear benefits to you or me. The battle these days goes not only for consumer money but also their attention. So con-artists and street hawks who have graduated in Marketing tries to crowbar everyone into their walled gardens in the vain hope that the consumer will never again look at another company's offering. Just look at what Facebook is doing to traditional independent media for instance.
For me, it would be super if they just dithced these platforms and stuck with single-serve launchers. I want to play Starcraft? I launch Starcraft 2. I do not launc the Blizzard Launcher which throws ads at me for their other games. But this won't happen, we know that.

 

[Song of storms]

It isn't. As it introduces Yet Another Game Launcher to Windows, without any clear benefits to you or me. The battle these days goes not only for consumer money but also their attention. So con-artists and street hawks who have graduated in Marketing tries to crowbar everyone into their walled gardens in the vain hope that the consumer will never again look at another company's offering. Just look at what Facebook is doing to traditional independent media for instance.
For me, it would be super if they just dithced these platforms and stuck with single-serve launchers. I want to play Starcraft? I launch Starcraft 2. I do not launc the Blizzard Launcher which throws ads at me for their other games. But this won't happen, we know that.

So, according to your logic, companies should bend over to Valve demands just because it's more convenient to you?

I used to sell on eBay, back when the fees would eat up to 40% of what I was selling. After contacting support about this, and confirming that the charges would stay like this, I closed my store and used other ways to sell my stuff, mainly my personal website. I sold somewhat less, but I didn't have 40% of it eaten away.

 

[tacticurn]

No I don't think this is what I am saying, I just say that Bethesda launching their own launcher instead of going through steam, not to any advantage for you as a consumer. I don't like Steam. I don't use it anymore. If I even buy pc games, its on GOG or I don't buy them at all. Which means I do not play pc Blizzard games, EA games for instance.

 

[Pacheko17]

DRM nowadays are much better than 10 years ago. All you need is to let a program of a few megabytes run in the background. You can keep 10 of those and you wouldn't even notice.

It's still unexcusable, doesn't matter how lightweight they get. They're anti-consumer and we should have the option to opt out.
I don't want tens of useless bloatware programs running in the background just to make sure I'm "in check". That's BS.
Steam is the lesser evil, their DRM is not at all that intrusive and it's even better because of the fact that Steam isn't limited to a single company. Almost my entire PC collection is on Steam, with the exceptions being on GOG (which is what I prefer, but unfortunately doesn't have as much support.)

If companies don't want to give Steam a cut, they can go with GOG or another not-limited storefront instead of making more DRM to make things more complicated.

btw fuck Denuvo.