Gearbox boss: 'Bitch and moan' if you want, but the Epic Store is best for Borderlands 3

Randy Pitchford explained in a long tweetstorm why he believes the future does not belong to Steam.

[PapaBop]

"blah blah blah.. oh $$$$$$$ blah blah blah umm ahhh, umm CROSSPLATFORM"

Totally sold, who needs consumer choice, the future is great, magical and EPIC /s

[Avernus]

I don't really care too much about this issue personally, but it's funny you bring up consumer choice as an argument against it when Steam basically had a monopoly.

[MrBitch]

Steam didn't have a monopoly, steam games were available to any platform that was willing to compete, steam didn't buy games rights to publish. Just because no one wanted to compete doesn't make them a monopoly.

[sinspirit]

You clearly don't know what a monopoly is. Steam made no efforts to control the market and prevent competition. It's just a great service without any catch. Customers gave it all the success it deserves.

Epic has a boring, featureless, and compromising client which has had many security breaches and continues to fail customers. The client is not right for customers. If developers want more money then they should just release the game standalone like back in the day and get all of the cut instead of launch on a bad client

[Hungryalpaca]

You don’t know what a monopoly is. Steam wasn’t the only place selling the games. The developers had numerous storefronts to choose from and steam never barred anyone from other stores. Steam was and still is the best option for everyone.

[PapaBop]

Steam had it's rocky beginnings for it's own reasons too but it's an apples and oranges argument, any perceived monopoly Steam had was due to Valve being one of the first gaming companies to offer a digital store.

[WombBat]

Steam is the greedy one, they take 30%...

[Jaypi03]

Steam isn't a monopoly though, it's the most popular platform but it's not a monopoly, that's not even how monopolies work, just because you say it's "basically" a monopoly doesn't mean it is. There's still competition for Steam, sure not as popular as Steam, but still competition, Humble Bundle, GOG, U-Play, Origin, and even piracy.

McDonalds is the biggest fast food place in the world, but it's still not a monopoly.

[sinspirit]

@WombBat

Okay. Take this for example. The whole industry takes 30%. Even retail takes a cut on top of console manufacturers getting 30% for releasing on their console. You are a free service that gives users and developers tons of tools and capabilities that no one else does. These developers also bypass fees that retailers would have taken by using Steam. Steam is great for developers and consumers.

Now, imagine a company releases a featureless security flawed service that can't keep themselves afloat and stay consistently updated and serviced at a 12% developer fee, while throwing cash at them for timed exclusivity, and is basically a flex to shoehorn into being a known marketplace by blending money because their super rich partner told them to try. Would you actually cut your fee on a consistently great service that makes the effort to do right for developers(given the fee) and consumers alike? Who really decides who wins? The consumer will. And, Steam will stay the main choice for us. Developers should just release their games standalone again jnstead of using a crappy launcher and make more money per unit.

[Kryptix]

Guy, I don't think you know what a monopoly is including those who agreed with you.

Valve never forced any market that sells keys to only sell Steam keys. for example.

Your anger is misdirected. It should be aimed at the anti-consumerism of purchasing exclusivity rights to games that were announced on one platform and then switched in the last second which in effect also took marketing space.

Not only that, but making people in the last second switch to a platform/launcher that lacks security and basic features which are considered pro-consumer.

I only played Fortnite once and till this day I still get "denied access" emails of someone obviously using an automatic password generator/cracker.

I'm good.

[darthv72]

If the game wasnt coming to PS and XB store then you may have a point but as it is there will still be consumer choice. You can play on pc, xbox and ps4. How you obtain your copy is dependent on which platform you want to use.

[PapaBop]

By that logic, Gamestop for example could obtain the exclusive rights to sell the Xbox copy but that wouldn't be impacting consumer choice because consumers could pick it up on a different platform instead. You are right though, I'll be getting it on PS4.

[jeki]

You have several choices: buy the game when it's released at the Epic Store, wait for it to release at Valve Corporation's Steam store, or don't buy it at all.

[rainslacker]

Developers and publishers have choice to. While I often don't side with the dev or pub at the expense of consumer choice, in this case, about the only thing the consumer is losing is the ability to choose which store to buy it from. The price is going to remain the same for the customer, and the customer won't be excluded from playing it on their PC platform, so the situation isn't completely anti-consumer. It's about akin to some companies only selling their products at certain retailers, often with regional non-compete agreements so that company has an advantage. In those cases, the prices are usually fixed by the manufacturer to, so the customer doesn't gain much benefit outside of where they may prefer to shop.

[jojo319]

It's actually more of an oligopoly than a true monopoly.

[Blu3_Berry]

This guy talks too much.

[PapaBop]

Well he isn't nicknamed Randy Bitchford for nothing.

[rainslacker]

He's also pretty shady in general.

[VTKC]

Bitch and moan? We will see who be bitching and moaning when your product doesnt sell as well as it should. A certain company already been down that road.

[Father__Merrin]

in another few years epic is likely to trunce steam. EGS will be a world wide phenomena and is likely the goto place for pc gaming

[Fluxour]

No

[Hungryalpaca]

Why you support shitty business is beyond me.

[PapaBop]

Perhaps they should have released it in a few years when it was good and ready then instead of throwing around their Fortnite money on trying to force gamers into using it.

[opc]

Epic Games Store is just a store though.

Steam is Platform supported by hardware and features that has a store inside of it.

If Epic is only interested in being a store, they should probably start selling Steam keys like Humble, GMG, Amazon... because people love those stores.

[rainslacker]

I dunno about trounce them, but I think they'll improve their store over time, and with enough time, people will hate them like they hate steam now. Hate, but still use. Eventually, the stores will just be two options with relatively equal features, and it may even help each store be more innovative and offer benefits for the customers.

the biggest thing I can't take seriously with all the hate towards epic's store now is that it was hate before they really did anything that was worth hating on. I do think Epic should have fleshed out the store a bit more before going all in.

[phoenixwing]

Say what you will about the epic store. They gave me transistor for free. I know which store i like more so far...

[xVOLTx]

They did that to lure you in and you took the bait.

[Rachel_Alucard]

Sure build a library up with free handouts to lure you in to spend money on them. Those games will stop fairly soon

[phoenixwing]

and i'll be left with free games in my library how horrible EPIC truly is. I might even have to click on a different store front for all of two seconds. Woe is me.

/s

[Rachel_Alucard]

Your bias is showing

[phoenixwing]

bias about what? Free games? I literally made the epic store account to get free games who in their right mind wouldn't if they're available? What's biased is being so enamored with one storefront to the point you won't even download a free game all because you have to click somewhere else on your open platform pc that has tons of applications

[Rachel_Alucard]

It's never been about clicking another icon. Nobody wants to use a launcher that hates its customers and I'm not apathetic enough to ignore the fact the games are just there to collect a library so you'll gladly bend over and pay to avoid your impulse control.

[Seafort]

You've just been bribed and you don't even know it.

It's the same with the publishers/developers that Epic offer money to. They've been bribed to sign an exclusivity contract to only sell on Epic Store for a year or more as Epic can't compete with any of the other digital stores on an equal footing with their barebones store.

Epic are trying to fast track their way to success but they will run out of money at some point. That's when the decline of the Epic Store will happen. Epic won't be successful without any exclusive incentives and they know it.

Epic don't want to work for their success like Valve did. It's all short term moneyhatting trying to get as many people signing up to their store before the money runs out.

[jeki]

Same here, I never bought that game at $team and I'm having fun with it.

[Kryptix]

LOL I have this feeling like you have no money or debit card to purchase anything in those Steam Sales that hit up to 90% off so free is better than nothing.

According to Steam Calculator, my account is worth almost 4 times more than what I have paid due to sales. https://steamdb.info/calcul...

But hey, I guess 1 free game a month just trounces on that pro-consumer benefit. To each his own. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[opc]

Meanwhile Valve released a bunch of updates and fixes for Steam last night.

[Hungryalpaca]

Thanks randy. Now I’m just going to pirate it :)

[3-4-5]

XB1 or PS4

[KeenBean345]

Really don't like this attitude at all. The majority of people who are bitching and moaning have some valid complaints such as splitting up gamers into using loads of different launchers (which a lot of people didn't like even before EGS), barebones store layout and lack of community functions and Epic's way of business in general with these exclusivity deals.

Some people are moaning just because it's Epic and they don't like them but there is definitely some genuine concerns about EGS being better than steam for consumers and imo they have a long way to go before they get there. Spend that money on improving your store first

[MetroidFREAK21]

So tired of these Epic vs Steam articles... Like grow up and realize business decisions happen. I get that the vast majority of PC gamers aren't happy with the decisions, but life goes on... Grow up and move on to more important things in life than a game launcher

[CorndogBurglar]

I don't disagree with you. But I would consider this more of a "Randy Pitchford is an idiot" article than an Epic vs Steam article.

[phoenixwing]

I don't disagree with you corndog. When a dev or ceo gets inflammatory and tries to tell people how to think then he's just asking for trouble. If he said it was a business decision and left it at that he would have been better served.

[Malice-Flare]

i wonder what the FTC would say to EPIC's actions, never mind the anti-trust laws in the EU. for a company that isn't a monopoly, it is sure acting like one...

[rainslacker]

What exactly have they done that is anti-trust? Buying exclusive rights to distribute a product isn't illegal.

[Malice-Flare]

i believe it is, read your own Sherman Act...

[rainslacker]

I don't need to read it to know that the FTC wouldn't consider buying exclusives isn't illegal. If it were, it would have been dealt with long ago, as it's really nothing new in the gaming market...or many other markets. There is no collusion, just business deals which help them compete. Anti-Trust means doing things which give you an unfair advantage in the market through collusion, or through illegal means.

[King_Noctis]

I feel like Randy should have just shut the hell up with this case. The more he talks, the more he invites bomb reviews to Borderlands 3 once it is released on Steam.

[Seafort]

To review you have to buy the game in the first place if it ever comes to steam at this point. Randy is a petty man-child and would probably try to block Borderlands 3 from ever coming to Steam if he could. Just to make a stupid point.

I certainly won't be buying the game from Epic store and I'm seriously having my doubts of buying it on Steam if it does come to my preferred choice.

[CDbiggen]

Ah, its always these arrogant comments that put me off the most. Im a spiteful bastard. I get he logic of why they're on there or whatever. I get it is just an extra login and platform. But i dont care, shove it up your ass.

[StormLegend]

Glad I dont play on PC and can have full access to the game on any store I like. This is BS

[Snakeeater25]

i dont know what is the problem but i know if i ever buy this game its on ps4 and there will be no problem

[xVOLTx]

Back at you when you see your sales is crap. There are tons of places to buy games to redeem on Steam. Heck, more often than not I buy from green man gaming.

[Brave_Losers_Unite]

No thanks, I've got 100% achievements on steam for the previous entry. Not gonna buy your game in Epic store

[xVOLTx]

The same thing could happen on consoles. Not that exclusives don't already exist but it could be taken to a whole new level.

[DillyDilly]

So don't like don't buy it

Be careful what you wish for Randy

[2pacalypsenow]

There’s absolutely nothing that makes the Leif store better than Steam.

[2pacalypsenow]

Epic*

[TheCryptKeeper]

The more he talks, the more the hype dies for me.

[Smokehouse]

What he said isn’t that bad. That tagline context is bullshit lol. It’s his opinion, he might be right or wrong who knows. That’s a pretty big claim that epic with crush steam severely but it’s not out of the question. Epic has the resources to do it, money and technology wise.

I’m no fan of this guy, he’s a dick but I can’t hate on what he said here. He chose epic because he thinks it’s the future. It’s up to PC gamers if they want epics console tactics. I wouldn’t be surprised if epic releases a home console to compete there too.

[AK91]

Ladies and gentle Randy Pitchford.

[Rachel_Alucard]

So, to be clear, Steam has treated developers fairly and consistently since it started allowing 3rd party games almost 15 years ago. Retailers like Gamestop used to take 60% of the revenue from a sale. Just for physically selling the game, they took 60% of every dollar spent. If that sounds like highway robbery to you, it's because it was. Valve came along and said they'd do it for 30%, and game developers loved it. Valve, being a game developer, had felt their pain, and offered a better way. Now a highly profitable game developer, who benefited from Steam this whole time, is crapping on it. Whatever. Competition is good, but don't act like Valve hasn't had developer's backs this entire time.

[jeki]

Physical retail and digital retail are completely different things.

I think Valve Corporation has always been about making money for themselves.

Whatever it is, it's obvious that developers aren't happy with Steam, or are at least happier with Epic. There is nothing wrong with that, people shouldn't be furious about it.

[Rachel_Alucard]

Anyone who's worked with Valve has praised them highly. All I see is a narrative being pushed by the media to paint them as some greedy corporation when the opponent is actually a greed corporation run by multiple investors as opposed to just the 1 owner on Valve's side. I'm more likely to trust Valve just on the knowledge they aren't obligated to make money for anyone else, since that leads to dirty things.

https://puu.sh/DbJmo/851ea1...

[jeki]

@Rachel_Alucard

It's my understanding that Valve Corporation doesn't take kindly to people who aren't on their side. Many developers are actually afraid of saying anything bad about them.

I don't think the media (whatever that is) is pushing a narrative at all, why would they?. PC Gamer (Future US Inc.), and several other big game sites, have a special relationship with Valve Corporation, so they certainly aren't. Who is this media you are referring to, and why would they advance a narrative that is anti-Steam, what is their motive?

[Rachel_Alucard]

The media wants attention and easy hits. Anything that goes against what the average buyer thinks is prime material. These same outlets are backed by many major publishers too.

[rainslacker]

And now GS makes less than 25%. If that isn't highway robbery, I don't know what is. GS doesn't determine the MSRP or the distributors selling price, and 50-100% markup is much more common at retail than 30% is at digital. Valve started at 20%. Which was common. I don't know when Steam started 30%. When I had some of my games released on them years ago, it was 20%. Steam didn't do an extraordinary(as in no) work to promote the games. They required more money to put things front and center. Retail outlets will spend their own money sometimes to promote products. Retail also has high costs to operate, plus, they're required to buy all their product, unlike Steam, which doesn't have to put out a single penny to buy anything. All they have to maintain is support for their users, and the servers to run their store and online features.

Let me be clear. I sell video games online with a small business I run. I don't sell new games very often, because there isn't enough money in it to make it worthwhile. I'd be happy to make 20% off a single sale, but selling a $60 game, I'll end up making $1-2 at the end. I don't have a big storefront, and my costs are pretty much nothing except after the sale. The storefronts I do use end up making more money on new games than I do, and it's not sustainable with the current MSRP and wholesale pricing.

I don't have anything against Valve personally. I know they're the largest store out there, and they have tons of customers, so not selling a game on Steam is a risky move. But if devs are doing it, it's because they aren't happy with the 30% cut. If they were happy with it, then they wouldn't be doing what they're doing now, even with a payout from Epic. 18% difference is huge, especially since most people who buy games digitally aren't likely going to be so fussy about what store front they use.

[Jaypi03]

I kinda dislike Randy Pitchford as a person, I mean it's one thing to support crappy things like this, but it's even worst to keep bragging about it and antagonizing the people who you expect to buy the game.

[Rachel_Alucard]

He gets away with it because his ego and the fact people are so apathetic and reduce all discussion about this crap down to a simple inconvenience or shift to something the general public doesn't care about. He knows people are dumb enough to buy it anyway while he taunts everyone like Ajit Pai did. It's a failure of the free market.

[chris235]

who needs a borderlands 3? i will not pay to play the same thing again, sorry.

[XxINFERNUSxX]

I don't bitch or moan, I just head on over to RARBG and get what I want LMAO. I smile actually :) I only support Steam nothing else.

[Soybetaboy]

Hahaahahahah console 4 lfie

[BrettAwesome]

It's gonna sell like hot cakes. And considering how many people are gonna buy this on console, Randy can do what he wants. Deal with it.

[covcha]

100% agree.

[DVAcme]

Randy Bitchford seriously is the worst, isn't he?

[SixFragz]

EA: If you don't like it don't buy it.
Gearbox: Bitch and moan if you want.

Truly some first class dipshits in the gaming industry. What a piece of work these clowns are, wanting people to support their products but can't even address consumers with respect or class. Goofy ass mf's.

[tontontam0]

Lol looking through the comments steam fanboys are already bitching and moaning hahahaha.

[kwijgaming]

I haven't trusted Gearbox since Aliens: Colonial Marines. Remember all the bs this guy was shoveling at that time?

I'm not gonna bitch and moan, I just won't buy your games.

[isa_scout]

Who would disagree with your comment? Hey, is there some idiot in the comments section that wants to defend the crap Randy pulled and the things he said to defend Aliens: Colonial Marines?

[tontontam0]

Lol this post is already proof of your bitching and moaning.

[r3f1cul]

why do they still allow this tool to tweet ... this idiocy just isnt good for publicity either way :/ its been a shame since the beginning of borderlands that its had to be tied to gearbox and pitchford in general ... your little crusade isnt doing you any favors. just simply say that epic makes more since for your employees and helps ease the financial burden and we're sorry we're going this way and let that be that man jesus ...

[Germaximus]

I dunno why anybody would disagree with him. I don't understand the insistence that Steam is the place that has to have everything. Nobody would have flinched if Steam added 'exclusives."

[zodiac909]

My comment gets blocked on N4g for using bad language, yet they allow article titles like this to pass...f**k off.

[jeki]

Look on the bright side guys, you can buy Poo Thrower 2 or My Dad Taking a Shower Simulator from $team while waiting for the amazing Borderlands 3 to end its exclusive run at the Epic Store.

[pleasuretokill]

I don't "bitch and moan"... you just don't see my cash until it's on the platform of MY choice. That simple. You need my cash much, much more than I need your game. It's my way or the highway!

[TargusX]

I fucking hate Steam. I also hate digital stores that vanish with time.

[DefaultComment]

Nah, mr. Pitchford I'm not gonna bitch and moan, I'm just not gonna buy your game at all, maybe in a humble bundle with steam, MAYBE then, its a pity considering that I fell in love with borderlands ever since the first one, but my pride is more important that your game.

[killswitch80]

Get em Randy. Epic Store is the best thing to happen to PC in years. All those features and some are coming well before BL3 launches. Everyone keeps pushing fake narratives about the Epic Store. A little of your own research and you see that those false narratives are just that.

[Gr8saiyaman88]

Nothing wrong with some competition. Most of the cool Steam loving, Epic hating teens these days were still watching Yo Gabba Gabba when Steam was in its infancy and terrible.

[aarogree]

The Epic Store is best for Borderlands 3...right up until initial sales show well below expectation because of the Epic Store exclusivity and this trainwreck of a tweetstorm.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you, Pitchford, not unless you're willing to go hungry and lose most of your teeth.