this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2024
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[โ€“] TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world 9 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

30% is the industry standard.

Shit, doesn't YouTube take like 60%? I think Twitch takes a big chunk too. Gog takes 30%. MS takes 30%. Sony takes 30%. Nintendo takes 30%. Apple takes 30%. GameStop, BestBuy, Amazon, and Walmart all take roughly 30% too.

It's the industry standard.

And unlike the likes of the Play Store or App store, Valve provides a lot for that 30%.

  • free cloud sync

  • free online multiplayer (not a given, look at MS/Sony/Nintendo)

  • forums

  • game demos

  • game recording with some neat features

  • a VR system

  • in-home streaming

  • family game sharing

  • a review system

  • a mod distribution platform

  • dev tools

  • advertising

  • online services you can tie into your game

  • achievements

  • a cross-platform, userspace anti-cheat solution

  • notes

  • backwards compatibility tooling

  • OS compatibility layers

  • Linux development

  • driver development

  • vast controller support

  • performance overlays

  • steam input

  • the list goes on...

I'm not in love with everything Valve does (loot boxes, micro-transactions ๐Ÿคข). But it's undeniable that compared to other companies that take the same (or higher) cut, you get a lot back.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to live in the fantasy world where they only take a 1% cut, but that's just what it is, a fantasy.