I can’t seem to find that one comment explaining the issue with them…
But for the sake of promoting conversation on Lemmy, what’s the issue with Epic, and why should I go for Steam or GoG?
Note: Piracy is not an answer. I understand why, and do agree to a certain extent… But sometimes, the happiness gained by playing something from a legitimate source is far greater 🥹… coming from someone who could never ever afford to purchase games, nor could my parents… Hence I’ve always played bootleg, or pirated games.
TL;DR
What’s wrong?
- Their launcher has a terrible UI AND UX.
- They make exclusive deals with studios to prevent other platforms from getting games. (Someone mentioned that Steam did the same thing in their infancy. Also, I have another question; why is it ok for Sony and Microsoft to make exclusive games for their consoles but not ok for these PC platforms to do so?)
- They have been invested in by a Chinese company, Tencent. (Someone mentioned that it isn’t that big of a deal, but idk.)
- They are actively anti-linux for some reason.
Disclaimer: I do not play multiplayer/Co-op. I do not use Steam’s community features, or any community features/social media features.
I do not want to put all my games in one basket, so if Steam has a hiccup I can’t play and welcome multiple clients, because one always works. I also prefer DRM free games that I can download the installer for, so I can still install a new game when my internet is down , but not for all games that is an option.
That said: I buy where the game is the cheapest. I also get all the free games (not the F2P, but the ones that usually cost money) on whichever client they are offered.
Even if EPIC has its problems, like all clients and publisher have, for me competition between them is key. If a game is available on multiple clients for the same price I will always go for GOG first (because no DRM), then the “natural client” like buying an Ubisoft game on Ubisoft Connect to not put DRM on DRM on DRM which happens when you buy such a game on Steam and need two clients to work with each other to start the game.
Physical games would be the best option for gamers, because you can resell them and they are independent from game clients and internet connections, but the publshers ruined that already because you will still need patches regularly, they offer a box with only a key inside or make the game always online or depend on a single user/client anyway and then there is “live serice” crap. I think that for PC gaming (my only platform) physical copies are dead.