One game launcher to rule them all

[Ussul w+m1]

I like steam.
BUT there are occasions where on other game store is better deal - like now for GTA-V for free. You cannot beat that.
So if you have few games in other game launchers you can add it here with ability add non steam game. (works only as shortcut) I get that - yet still you are lunching other services - stats are all over, snapshots you cannot track..All friends are together only on discord.
Wouldn't it be great to have one launcher for all the games?
From the legal point.. if I buy a game am I obligated to run it from that service (launcher) where I bought it?
Galaxy 2.0 is trying but not there yet.
Do you think that Steam like the biggest could pull it off?

[Snapjak]

There is absolutely nothing stopping devs from just handing out Steam keys.

Seriously, they can make keys at any time for their games.

[Crazy Tiger]

引用自 Ussul w+m1：

Wouldn't it be great to have one launcher for all the games?

I've heard of Playnite. Doesn't that serve that purpose?

引用自 Ussul w+m1：

if I buy a game am I obligated to run it from that service (launcher) where I bought it?

You buy the license to use it through that service, yes. I think it's time that you actually read the terms of the service you use.

Simply put, you're not entitled a different version than the one you actually bought.

引用自 Ussul w+m1：

Do you think that Steam like the biggest could pull it off?

Steam doesn't want to be a launcher for all. Steam primarily wants you to stay in the Steam ecosystem so you make your purchases on Steam.

[Gwarsbane]

引用自 Ussul w+m1：

I like steam.
BUT there are occasions where on other game store is better deal - like now for GTA-V for free. You cannot beat that.
So if you have few games in other game launchers you can add it here with ability add non steam game. (works only as shortcut) I get that - yet still you are lunching other services - stats are all over, snapshots you cannot track..All friends are together only on discord.
Wouldn't it be great to have one launcher for all the games?
From the legal point.. if I buy a game am I obligated to run it from that service (launcher) where I bought it?
Galaxy 2.0 is trying but not there yet.
Do you think that Steam like the biggest could pull it off?

Valve can not just hand out keys for games on other launchers that you have, that is 100% up to the devs of that game to hand out steam keys.

GTA-V being free is epic games buying the devs off with a bunch of money and putting their game up and saying "we'll give you the amount you want for each one that is added to someones account." Valve does not need to do this because they are not trying to catch up to anyone. They also don't have such a pathetic game store that they don't even have a cart which is a standard feature on every single store on the internet since people decided to try to sell stuff on the internet.

You can also already add other games into the steam launcher so that you can launch them from Steam, though they still need their own launcher.

Galaxy 2 works exactly the same, you can put the games into it to tell them to launch but they still require their launchers. You just don't get the games for free. GOG does have the connect feature which can look into your Steam account and see what games you have and add certain games that the game developers/publishers allow to be added. It doesn't do it for all the games, just some. How do I know? I have a lot of games on Steam that are on GOG but not all of them get added when I try connect every now and then and I haven't seen any get added in a long time.

The only games in steam that won't require steam to launch them are DRM free games which don't require the Steam launcher but you'd have to look those up on google to find them.

So what you want is only possible if the developers hand out Steam keys for their games on the other platforms. Valve is not just going to hand them out to you. So if you want them, go bug the developers/publishers of that game and ask them to provide a steam key though the other platform.

[Ussul w+m1]

Thank you plp for explaining the problem to me. I am just stuck with as many launchers as many companies I get the game from. Right now it is stupid, but it will sort itself out.
Like cellphone charges :-).

[Darren]

The easiest way to sort it out is redeem all the free games Epic offers but don't ever actually spend money there, give it a year or so of most people doing that and they'll fold the store up at which point publishers will need to decide whether to offer Steam keys for customers that own games on Epic, or whether to deal with the massive negative public relations of not doing so.

Either way games will be basically back on a single launcher (Steam) and you won't actually be out any money even if they decide not to honor the Epic Games store owned games on Steam.