Shenmue III developers refuse Kickstarter refunds for Steam keys, they state Epic Games Store is the "best distribution platform option"

[cicalooo 1]

12 hours ago, ZLoth said:

It's nothing personal. It's just business. 

Why are people getting worked up over which store a game initially appears in? We need some strong competition to the Steam store, and Epic is finally providing it. 

Competition?

I suggest you open your eyes... especially since Epic fucked with Privacy laws literally stealing Steam userdata and admitting to it via Tim. Geez I hate dealing with people like you, it's like 2014 and Denuvo misinformation all over again. 

[AnotherGills 25]

3 hours ago, cicalooo said:

Competition?

I suggest you open your eyes... especially since Epic fucked with Privacy laws literally stealing Steam userdata and admitting to it via Tim. Geez I hate dealing with people like you, it's like 2014 and Denuvo misinformation all over again. 

I would say it is competition. What is stopping Valve from throwing even more money at developers to keep them from jumping ship to the Epic Store?

[rain3x 3]

33 minutes ago, AnotherGills said:

I would say it is competition. What is stopping Valve from throwing even more money at developers to keep them from jumping ship to the Epic Store?

Ah yes, I remember the super bowl this year. The New England Patriots won by default because they paid the stadium to keep the L.A. Rams from entering. True competition at its finest.

[AnotherGills 25]

2 minutes ago, rain3x said:

Ah yes, I remember the super bowl this year. The New England Patriots won by default because they paid the stadium to keep the L.A. Rams from entering. True competition at its finest.

Epic isn't only paying for exclusivity, they are also taking a smaller share of revenue from game sales.
Epic is providing a more lucrative store for developers. If Valve has an issue with this, they can adapt Epic's policies for the Steam store. Valve could pay off developers and publishers to not release games on the Epic Games Store, yet they have chosen not to compete in that regard.

[Aemony 150]

12 hours ago, AnotherGills said:

Epic isn't only paying for exclusivity, they are also taking a smaller share of revenue from game sales.
Epic is providing a more lucrative store for developers. If Valve has an issue with this, they can adapt Epic's policies for the Steam store. Valve could pay off developers and publishers to not release games on the Epic Games Store, yet they have chosen not to compete in that regard.

On the flip-side: GOG is facing harsher competition than ever before as a result of Epic’s 88%/12% and Discord’s 90%/10% revenue splits.

Steam can wether the storm easily, but can GOG? They already made barely any profit (if I remember it correctly) last year.

[Rose 278]

On 6/17/2019 at 10:15 PM, rain3x said:

The fact that the EGS harvests data off your computer without your permission, the same way more malware does.

There's nothing factual about that claim. It's based on a reddit post from a user that doesn't even understand the basics of Process Monitor, let alone common software behavior.

Completely debunked here, here and here, among other places.

[rain3x 3]

Just now, Rose said:

There's nothing factual about that claim. It's based on a reddit post from a user that doesn't even understand the basics of Process Monitor, let alone common software behavior.

Completely debunked here, here and here, among other places.

Debunked nowhere. 
 

Even Sweeney himself stated "We're working to update the implementation so that the Epic Games launcher only touches the Steam file at all if you choose to import friends."

Feel free to explain why they would need to update it if it's not touching your Steam files without your permission. 

[ZLoth 10]

I will stand by my statement..... "It's business. Nothing personal." At the end of the day, it's the money that talks, and if Epic is offering a bigger cut than Steam in exchange for exclusivity, guess what the decision makers decide.

Don't like it? Don't buy it. That's the ultimate deciding factor.

If anything, the gaming platform that we should be sending our love to is GOG. If nothing else, we should be supporting the older (or "classic") games which inspired the games that are out there today. 

I still do not understand the love-fest for Valve/Steam. If anything, Steam has grown complicit because it is the dominant distribution platform. 

[rain3x 3]

23 minutes ago, ZLoth said:

I will stand by my statement..... "It's business. Nothing personal." At the end of the day, it's the money that talks, and if Epic is offering a bigger cut than Steam in exchange for exclusivity, guess what the decision makers decide.

Don't like it? Don't buy it. That's the ultimate deciding factor.

If anything, the gaming platform that we should be sending our love to is GOG. If nothing else, we should be supporting the older (or "classic") games which inspired the games that are out there today. 

I still do not understand the love-fest for Valve/Steam. If anything, Steam has grown complicit because it is the dominant distribution platform. 

It's not a "love fest" for Valve, it's about the anti-consumer practices of Epic. Also you probably meant "complacent" which couldn't be further from the truth. But you're free to continue being obtuse.

[Kellovesi 0]

15 hours ago, ZLoth said:

I will stand by my statement..... "It's business. Nothing personal." At the end of the day, it's the money that talks, and if Epic is offering a bigger cut than Steam in exchange for exclusivity, guess what the decision makers decide.

Don't like it? Don't buy it. That's the ultimate deciding factor.

If anything, the gaming platform that we should be sending our love to is GOG. If nothing else, we should be supporting the older (or "classic") games which inspired the games that are out there today. 

I still do not understand the love-fest for Valve/Steam. If anything, Steam has grown complicit because it is the dominant distribution platform. 

What you're saying is the ideal environment were these companies are competing within a legal framework and customers are free to make decisions based on objective information given to them. That's how it should be but the current situation is quite away from that ideal universe. We're currently in a situation where:

1. The Shenmue 3 game was sold as a definite Steam title to customers.
2. People bought the title under the impression that it will be delivered to them using Steam "when it's done".
3. Developer/Publisher suddenly out of nowhere has announced that instead of Steam, the game will be distributed trough Epic which objectively is a worse option for most customers.
4. Developer/Publisher has refused to give any refunds to anyone so that customers could possibly later buy the Steam version. They've also been dishonest and blatantly lied about the merits of the EGS by calling it "better option" instead of just being honest about it and saying e.g. "we needed more money to develop this game".

Customers have clearly been mislead by the company with false promises/advertising, the company has refused to issue refunds and they're not in a proper communication with their customers/backers. There could be a basis for a lawsuit against the Developer/Publisher in this case.

Depending on the intention and context, this could turn out badly for everyone... Well, it actually already has turned badly for the customers whom were unable to vote with their wallets and make the decision like the "don't like it, don't buy it" proverb instructs and thus your stance falls apart.

I agree we should support GOG more.

This isn't really about some "love-fest for Valve/Steam" but rather consumers being able to receive the agreed deal without sudden alterations. Furthermore Valve does a lot of work to keep Steam a market leader and having that position isn't simple. Any (even a minor) change can cause Valve to lose a lot of business which is why they move slowly and often play the long game instead of going for short term gains.

[ZLoth 10]

Actions have consequences. Sometimes, those consequences are unplanned, unintended, and unexpected.

[ZLoth 10]

From Ars Technica:

Angry Shenmue III backers can get refunds after Epic Game Store move
Tim Sweeney says Epic will cover refund costs to preserve "development funding."

FULL ARTICLE HERE