Open any gaming PC, and chances are the blue icon of Steam is sitting right there on the desktop. Not hidden, not optional, but almost expected. Over time, Steam has gone from being just another launcher to becoming the default storefront for PC gaming, almost like a built-in part of the experience. The Monopoly Nobody […]
For me the difference is there is nothing stopping competitors, Valve is not locking them out of the market in anyway. If they don’t want to spend the time to build a good competing product, that’s on them. And additionally, PC gaming is just one platform for gaming
The network effect is a pretty significant barrier. If a game comes out and it isn’t on Steam, the odds are pretty good that most gamers would never bother looking at it. It’s hardly Steam’s fault that the only attempts at competition for decades have been enshitified from launch though.