Ban all "launchers" from all games

[Szap]

As the title says, for most games "launchers" do not offer anything except for collecting user data and a frustrating button you have to click to actually play your game. It could be made optional to launch the launcher instead of the game but i would propose to completely remove the ability that the "play" button starts a launcher of the game. All features a launcher has can just be coded in the real game.

[Jaunitta 🌸]

Steam has no responsibility to contact or dictate to Developers on behalf of players what they want or dont want.

[Brujeira]

That’s down to the devs to offer that. They decide whether to use a launcher or not and whether the game can launch without it.

Valve won’t talk down to game devs unless they’re caught flouting the SSA or other terms. They’re certainly not going to ban launchers when most people don’t seem to have an issue with them.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by Szap:

All features a launcher has can just be coded in the real game.

That's the choice for the game devs to make. It's their IP, their game, their software, their choice.

Keep in mind that for those games, it's actually Steam that is the 3rd party launcher.

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by Szap:

As the title says, for most games "launchers" do not offer anything except for collecting user data and a frustrating button you have to click to actually play your game. It could be made optional to launch the launcher instead of the game but i would propose to completely remove the ability that the "play" button starts a launcher of the game. All features a launcher has can just be coded in the real game.

Steam is basically just a store. They sell stuff, mostly games.

They don't make the majority of the games they sell. Ask the developers of the game to not have a launcher, but it's not really that big of a deal if a game has a launcher.

In fact, there can be advantages if one does.

[Szap]

Originally posted by The Giving One:

Steam is basically just a store. They sell stuff, mostly games.

They don't make the majority of the games they sell. Ask the developers of the game to not have a launcher, but it's not really that big of a deal if a game has a launcher.

In fact, there can be advantages if one does.

Steam is THE store so it can just make the rules - as it does with so many other points

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by Szap:

Steam is THE store so it can just make the rules - as it does with so many other points

So please tell us all, why a business would make up rules to limit what a a developer would do with how they make their games, when that business makes profit off of the sales of such games.

I can't wait to see the explanation.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by Szap:

Originally posted by The Giving One:

Steam is basically just a store. They sell stuff, mostly games.

They don't make the majority of the games they sell. Ask the developers of the game to not have a launcher, but it's not really that big of a deal if a game has a launcher.

In fact, there can be advantages if one does.

Steam is THE store so it can just make the rules - as it does with so many other points

No, Steam is just a store. Steam also doesn't make rules for the industry.

You also seem to forget that Valve believes that developers and publishers should have choice. They're not going to limit developers just because of your inconvenience.

The latter also brings forth that Steam has 2 customer groups, something that many players completely forget:
- Players
- Publishers
Valve tries its best to balance things between these two groups.

[Gus the Crocodile]

Originally posted by The Giving One:

So please tell us all, why a business would make up rules to limit what a a developer would do with how they make their games, when that business makes profit off of the sales of such games.

I can't wait to see the explanation.

This is, in fact, entirely normal behaviour for businesses. I feel like this makes more sense when you change the framing from "making up rules to limit how people make their games" to the more accurate "choosing what we will stock in our store".

The "why" is essentially "to cultivate and present a particular image to our customers". Plenty of stores choose not to stock, say, sex toys, or cigarettes, or t-shirts with offensive imagery etc etc.

Not saying it'd be a great idea in this specific case, just answering the generalised question.

[Tito Shivan]

Originally posted by Szap:

As the title says, for most games "launchers" do not offer anything except for collecting user data and a frustrating button you have to click to actually play your game. It could be made optional to launch the launcher instead of the game but i would propose to completely remove the ability that the "play" button starts a launcher of the game. All features a launcher has can just be coded in the real game.

Remember that for those games, Steam is the 'extra' launcher.

Originally posted by Szap:

Steam is THE store so it can just make the rules - as it does with so many other points

And developers are free to take their business elsewhere.
Last time Steam 'made the rules' EA took Battlefield 3 off Steam to Origin... up to this day.

[xnowylovv]

That’s down to the devs to offer that. They decide whether to use a launcher or not and whether the game can launch without it.

Valve won’t talk down to game devs unless they’re caught flouting the SSA or other terms. They’re certainly not going to ban launchers when most people don’t seem to have an issue with them.

[Zekiran]

Originally posted by Tito Shivan:

Remember that for those games, Steam is the 'extra' launcher.

^^^^^ this is super important to note.

ANY game that has a publisher that uses their OWN launcher, that is sold THROUGH steam, Steam is "the third party". When you have the option to buy a game on the publisher's launcher, and use that launcher, is IT 'another launcher'? No, it's THE launcher.

Steam helps you buy and launch the games. that's all. Any publisher has the right to produce their own, it does get slow, and it is a little less convenient than if Steam were the 'only' launcher, but frankly that's not up to Steam in any way.

[76561198407601200]

Originally posted by Szap:

As the title says, for most games "launchers" do not offer anything except for collecting user data and a frustrating button you have to click to actually play your game. It could be made optional to launch the launcher instead of the game but i would propose to completely remove the ability that the "play" button starts a launcher of the game. All features a launcher has can just be coded in the real game.

Show some proof of launchers collecting user data and state exactly which user data it is collecting, otherwise that is just a general rant with no substance.

As far as it being "frustrating" to click a button, surely you cannot be that much of a hypocrite (or extremely lazy) that you are complaining that you have to click 1 button to start the game, yet will make many clicks after the matter.

[flying_night_slasher]

I don't care as long as I can buy the game from steam because I only use the steam card's they have in store's I don't have credit or paypal so I can't buy straight from Uplay or anywhere else.

[RedLightning]

Originally posted by Miss Ann Thrope:

Originally posted by Tito Shivan:

Remember that for those games, Steam is the 'extra' launcher.

Exactly. Launchers like uPlay are required by default for most Ubisoft games, regardless of where they are purchased. If the OP doesn't want to deal with an "extra" launcher, he should buy them directly from uPlay and not Steam. Same goes for games that require Origin or the Rockstar Launcher.

Well how about games that I bought on steam that decide YEARS later to cram a launcher in my face..

What choice did I have there?

[Zekiran]

You bought the game, and that game - like every single one of them anywhere on or off steam - came with a licence agreement. In that agreement that you clearly didn't bother to read, it will say words to the effect of "this may change".

If you do not accept the 'new' launcher, like literally everything else, you may choose to stop using the product. that's the choice you've been given with every. single. purchase. ever.