In the world of digital storefronts, the battle lines are drawn not just in market shares and exclusive titles, but also in the fiery correspondence between industry titans. The latest scoop from the gaming grapevine is a spicy email exchange that’s got everyone talking. It’s a tale of heated words between Epic CEO Tim Sweeney and the top brass at Valve, including CEO Gabe Newell and COO Scott Lynch, that’s emerged from the depths of a US antitrust lawsuit involving Valve and developer Wolfire.
The saga began with a seemingly innocuous inquiry from Newell to Sweeney, asking if Valve had done anything to annoy him. The trigger? A leaked comment from Valve’s Sean Jenkins about potential restrictions on Steam keys. Sweeney, unbothered by Jenkins’ blunder, swiftly shifted gears to air his grievances about Steam’s 30% platform fee. He argued that the fee was justifiable in the early days but now, with the scale of operations and reduced costs, it’s disproportionate to the value provided. Sweeney even wagered that Valve pocketed more profit from the next 1000 games after the top 25 than the developers did, leaving a mere 25% for game creation.
Fast forward to December 2018, and Sweeney’s tone had taken a turn for the confrontational. With the launch of the Epic Games Store on the horizon, he called out Valve for offering special terms to the ‘strong and powerful’ while leaving ‘the little people’ with a 30% fee. His email was a clarion call for Valve to step up and offer a better deal to developers, thereby challenging Apple’s similar fee structure. But the response from Valve’s Scott Lynch was a masterclass in brevity and sass: ‘You mad bro?’
While Lynch’s retort might seem dismissive, it’s worth noting that his words were never intended for public consumption. Sweeney had just informed Valve of his plans to launch a direct competitor, criticized their store operations, and let loose a tirade against Apple, all while branding them ‘assholes.’ It was a bold strategy, to say the least.
The Wolfire lawsuit, which has brought these emails to light, is a complex beast questioning Valve’s pricing practices and the viability of the Epic Games Store. It’s a David versus Goliath scenario, and the gaming community is left pondering who’s bankrolling Wolfire’s legal challenge. The lawsuit itself seems to be a muddle of accusations against Valve, and its outcome remains uncertain.
What’s clear, though, is that behind the scenes, the competition between Epic and Valve is as fierce as ever. And while the legal battles rage on, the gaming world gets a front-row seat to the drama. It’s a reminder that in the high-stakes game of digital distribution, words can be just as powerful as business moves. Whether these exchanges will change the landscape or simply provide entertainment fodder remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: in the world of gaming, the drama is just as compelling as the games themselves.
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Tim Sweeney emailed Gabe Newell calling Valve ‘you assholes’ over Steam policies, to which Valve’s COO replied internally ‘you mad bro?’
Tim Sweeney emailed Gabe Newell calling Valve ‘you assholes’ over Steam policies, to which Valve’s COO replied internally ‘you mad bro?’
Tim Sweeney emailed Gabe Newell calling Valve ‘you assholes’ over Steam policies, to which Valve’s COO simply replied ‘you mad bro?’
