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The analysis is wrong. Gruber wrongly interprets the word “single” as meaning that there should only be one store and that store should work across all platform

The analysis is wrong. Gruber wrongly interprets the word “single” as meaning that there should only be one store and that store should work across all platforms. Whereas what Sweeney is clearly saying is that there should exist at least one store where a consumer can buy a game but play it on any platform. Basically Steam, but across not just PCs and Macs and Linux devices but also the locked down general purpose computers like iOS and Android and even XBox, PS and Nintendo. He does not think that there should only be one such store, and says nothing to suggest that other non Epic owned such stores cannot exist. But Gruber tries to imply that Sweeney is trying to make sure that the Epic store is the only one that can exist. Because without this implication I cannot think of any consumer/free market minded person who would disagree with the idea that if I buy a game, I should be able to play it wherever it can be played, and that I shouldn’t have to repurchase my entire game library because I got a PS instead of an XBox.

deleted 5y ago
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zepto 5y ago
> The analysis is wrong. Gruber wrongly interprets the word “single” as meaning that there should only be one store and that store should work across all platforms. I think that’s a fair alternative interpretation. > I buy a game, I should be able to play it wherever it can be played, and that I shouldn’t have to repurchase my entire game library because I got a PS instead of an XBox. There is no logic to this whatsoever other. If it costs more to support more platforms (which is does) there is no reason users should expect not to have to pay more. It’s hard to see how creating a world where small developers are expected to do even more work for free, is good for anyone other than a monopolist like Sweeney. The obvious goal here is to make it uneconomical to target anything other than a cross-platform game engine, which of course Epic will provide. Can we stop pretending now that Sweeney wants anything other than to expand his own monopoly?
- addicted 5y ago
  > There is no logic to this whatsoever other. If it costs more to support more platforms (which is does) there is no reason users should expect not to have to pay more. And why should anyone other than the creator of the product that is being sold decide that? If the Epic storefront does not allow for a developer or publisher to charge more for multiple platforms they can choose not to sell on the Epic store, and continue selling the existing way, or maybe a different storefront. There is no evidence Sweeney wants to expand any monopoly (what monopoly, btw?) other than a deliberate and nonsensical misreading of his statement.
  - zepto 5y ago
    >> And why should anyone other than the creator of the product that is being sold decide that? > if I buy a game, I should be able to play it wherever it can be played, and that I shouldn’t have to repurchase my entire game library because I got a PS instead of an XBox. Seems like you want to decide that. > And why should anyone other than the creator of the product that is being sold decide that? If the Epic storefront does not allow for a developer or publisher to charge more for multiple platforms they can choose not to sell on the Epic store, and continue selling the existing way, or maybe a different storefront. This silly argument comes up every time. No, developers obviously won’t be able to just choose what storefronts they like. They will be forced to go to the one storefront that has the customers.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

zepto 5y ago

> The analysis is wrong. Gruber wrongly interprets the word “single” as meaning that there should only be one store and that store should work across all platforms. I think that’s a fair alternative interpretation. > I buy a game, I should be able to play it wherever it can be played, and that I shouldn’t have to repurchase my entire game library because I got a PS instead of an XBox. There is no logic to this whatsoever other. If it costs more to support more platforms (which is does) there is no reason users should expect not to have to pay more. It’s hard to see how creating a world where small developers are expected to do even more work for free, is good for anyone other than a monopolist like Sweeney. The obvious goal here is to make it uneconomical to target anything other than a cross-platform game engine, which of course Epic will provide. Can we stop pretending now that Sweeney wants anything other than to expand his own monopoly?

addicted 5y ago
> There is no logic to this whatsoever other. If it costs more to support more platforms (which is does) there is no reason users should expect not to have to pay more. And why should anyone other than the creator of the product that is being sold decide that? If the Epic storefront does not allow for a developer or publisher to charge more for multiple platforms they can choose not to sell on the Epic store, and continue selling the existing way, or maybe a different storefront. There is no evidence Sweeney wants to expand any monopoly (what monopoly, btw?) other than a deliberate and nonsensical misreading of his statement.
- zepto 5y ago
  >> And why should anyone other than the creator of the product that is being sold decide that? > if I buy a game, I should be able to play it wherever it can be played, and that I shouldn’t have to repurchase my entire game library because I got a PS instead of an XBox. Seems like you want to decide that. > And why should anyone other than the creator of the product that is being sold decide that? If the Epic storefront does not allow for a developer or publisher to charge more for multiple platforms they can choose not to sell on the Epic store, and continue selling the existing way, or maybe a different storefront. This silly argument comes up every time. No, developers obviously won’t be able to just choose what storefronts they like. They will be forced to go to the one storefront that has the customers.