Why so late?

[Newbell]

What's the point bringing it now if you are going to compete with people who have been playing for years?
I could understand for people who is currently playing and wants to move into Steam. But from newcommers I don't see the point.

[widepeepoHAPPY]

Im not sure the logic here. If a person had even a small desire to try out magic in online form they would have looked online and been met with not only the stand alone client for Arena but also the Epic games store. And why cant people jump into a game thats been out?...

Yes, logically people that have played before you do will have more cards or a more diverse collection to build from but thats how literally any online game works. If i didnt play call of duty until 5 months after it came out im going to be killed by people who unlocked higher level guns/equipment before i did... but after enough time playing ill eventually have more things unlocked to pick from.

[Freyr_O]

Games that exist outside Steam appear on Steam only when they are no longer popular and no longer profitable (or when they're losing popularity and profits) - release on Steam potentially increases the playerbase and profits, which extends the longevity of the game. As a result of Wizards/Hasbro's outrageous policies, Arena has been losing its playerbase, it's no longer as profitable as it was at the start, and that's the reason why they decided to release it on Steam -- to get that extra bit of gold... before the whole thing goes kaput.

[Myo]

because i dont use epic and only steam

[Brave Sir Robin]

They lose money on the Steam version because Valve takes a 30% cut of all purchases. It's a last resort when they've decided the exposure on Steam is necessary to get new players.

[Urgash]

Maybe because we've been asking them to release it on Steam for years, and nobody went to play it on EGS. I'll gladly run Arena from Steam, as i am both a long-time player of the game, and Steam is my platform of choice.

[Newbell]

Originally posted by Urgash:

Maybe because we've been asking them to release it on Steam for years, and nobody went to play it on EGS. I'll gladly run Arena from Steam, as i am both a long-time player of the game, and Steam is my platform of choice.

Yes. I also prefer Steam as platform.
But what I mean is that if you start now from Steam, you will be playing against people that have been playing for years. I don't think is fair for us.

[Tweakee]

The main modes in MTG:Arena only allow cards from the current rotation (about a year), so even starting now won't leave you as far behind as you might think.

[Newbell]

Originally posted by Tweakee:

The main modes in MTG:Arena only allow cards from the current rotation (about a year), so even starting now won't leave you as far behind as you might think.

And what happens with the oldest cards ?

[Mutant Overlord]

Originally posted by LBG:

They lose money on the Steam version because Valve takes a 30% cut of all purchases. It's a last resort when they've decided the exposure on Steam is necessary to get new players.

They don't lose on Steam version. They earn more on Steam.
10 000 sold copies with 88% cut is still a smaller number than 100 000+ with 70% cut.
Do the math.

[TWiZTED]

Originally posted by Newbell:

Originally posted by Tweakee:

The main modes in MTG:Arena only allow cards from the current rotation (about a year), so even starting now won't leave you as far behind as you might think.

And what happens with the oldest cards ?

Older cards can be played in Alchemy, Explorer, Historic among many other modes. Standard is always much more popular and suitable for beginners. Historic comes next in popularity, and in that case, well, catching up with someone who's been playing since 2019, almost impossible I'd say.

[Freyr_O]

Originally posted by Tweakee:

The main modes in MTG:Arena only allow cards from the current rotation (about a year), so even starting now won't leave you as far behind as you might think.

"Historic" is also one of the main modes--it's been part of Arena from its early days and it allows using all released cards, except those banned. From the game's early days, Arena players have always been able to use either Historic or Standard.

[𝔓𝔲𝔰𝔥𝔶]

Originally posted by Newbell:

Originally posted by Tweakee:

The main modes in MTG:Arena only allow cards from the current rotation (about a year), so even starting now won't leave you as far behind as you might think.

And what happens with the oldest cards ?

Go to the trash

[🍀 Snjógvur]

I was curious why this was under the "new" tab. I thought this was released years ago.

Originally posted by widepeepoHAPPY:

Im not sure the logic here. If a person had even a small desire to try out magic in online form they would have looked online and been met with not only the stand alone client for Arena but also the Epic games store.

Or MTGO, depending on their age.

[River]

Originally posted by TWiZTED:

catching up with someone who's been playing since 2019, almost impossible I'd say.

As someone who just started playing last year, can't say I agree. Don't chase the meta, since that'll just leave you sour. But if you play normally and make your own decks, you can do pretty well with just the stuff they give you to start out, and then you can chase specific cards for refinement by just finishing the daily quest they give you, and get about 2-3 packs per week without paying for anything.

[[HdF] Almut Grete]

Most players prefer steam (and without extra log-ins), but log-ins, forums, websites, social-media, etc. generate income through investments because of higher click-numbers. No Dev and especialy Producer likes steam (or other platforms) that much, unless they need it for PR reasons (indie stuff).
The percentage steam and other platforms take from selling things is a common standart and not all that different from selling books and such, bust still ppl selling would prefer not to use it.
Alas at some point it gets more profitable to use platforms like steam, if your numbers do not match your expactations anymore.

tl;dr: through steam sell and player numbers will rise in a manner, that just selling it themselfs can not keep up, although steam will take a percentage of the income.