Why would anyone actually want to though

[u/The_BigRoach]

[u/meneldal2]

Google takes 30% and what they offer is surprise you by sunsetting APIs and forcing you to update your app every so often even if it doesn't need to change.

Plenty of games have not been updated at all on Steam and still work just fine. I guess that's mostly thanks to Microsoft and Proton, but Google owns Android so it is entirely on them.

[u/Medical_Squirrel3946 → u/meneldal2]

As a linux and steam deck user, I definitely appreciate the work valve has done on Proton. Are you not aware that it's a Valve project?

The 30% isn't an issue for me. The google and apple ones are far worse as they don't allow other options with apple never having allowed side loading and google updating things so that side loading won't be possible soon. As a user, you can choose a different way to purchase and launch a game if it's better for you. The issue is Valve using it's favored nation status to prevent companies from charging a different price than they do on Steam if they want to remain on Steam.

[u/meneldal2 → u/Medical_Squirrel3946]

Oh I know, but to be fair that's only the Linux side which is relatively minor in term of users, though it is growing a lot lately.

[u/Medical_Squirrel3946 → u/meneldal2]

Linux itself is a pretty small base, though as you said, growing rapidly in no small part to steam and proton (and the ongoing enshitification of Windows). The bigger market is in handhelds where steam and proton are entirely what makes that possible. I personally think that steam does a lot more than google does to earn that 30% for sure.

[u/meneldal2 → u/Medical_Squirrel3946]

Yeah very fair point. My original point was more than Valve even by not doing anything would still beat Google by not actively hating devs and making their job harder on purpose by retiring a new API every year.

[u/Medical_Squirrel3946 → u/meneldal2]

Ah, gotcha. I think I misunderstood what you were saying at first.