3 ms·
Epic "exclusives" are really just Epic purchasing customers. The publisher sells their fan base to Epic, and Epic gets a list of potential people they can sell
by fooey 6y ago
Epic "exclusives" are really just Epic purchasing customers.
The publisher sells their fan base to Epic, and Epic gets a list of potential people they can sell their own crap to, and gets a big install base number they can leverage to convince more publishers to sell them more fan bases.
#1 the publisher wins because they don't like risk in the first place, and free money is free money
#2 epic wins because they build legitimacy and reach, and they sell more fortnite MTX to their burgeoning install base
#3 the developer loses because their brand is tarnished and their potential for future titles is damaged due to lower sales numbers and shredding their fan base
#4 the players lose because they lose choice and have their library locked in a 2nd rate predatory ecosystem
- asdfasgasdgasdg 6y agoThe players experience a first order loss but may achieve a long term second order gain as increased competition leads to better profits in game development, therefore encouraging more investment in games and potentially better games. I don't really agree that the developer loses. They need to get paid and presumably they are making rational decisions about which publishers to work with and transitively about their sales model.
- tomnipotent 6y agoThere's zero evidence backing up any of your claims that developers or players "lose" because of these exclusive arrangements. Unlike the militant HN crowd, the average gamer doesn't give a crap if they have to install a client. Feelings are not facts.