Bethesda Ditching Steam With Fallout 76 - Available Only via Bethesda.net

[Raevenlord]

The ease of digital distribution means companies can always try to maximize their profits by cutting the man in the middle - saving in on any distribution fees that third party would demand for its services. Of course, this is easier said than done, and most small companies wouldn't be able to set up their own digital distribution service - Steam as a platform is a great alternative for these, since it couples simplicity with a grand user base, and Steam's own in-house publicity and user data allows these companies to achieve a much wider audience than they likely would should they try to use their own distribution platform.

Of course, Bethesda isn't a small company, to say the least; that's why it has the resources to pour into its own digital platform, and part of the reason why Fallout 76 won't make it to the PC's leading distribution platform, Steam. In the game F.A.Q., Bethesda has made it clear that Fallout 76 will only be available via Bethesda.net, meaning that users will be left in the cold with some of Steam's exclusive features. Of course, one might argue that those are all peanuts compared to the actual game.



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[Frick]

That means I'll see nothing of this game. Excellent!

 

[Tsukiyomi91]

how nice of them. Coz no one is going to download & install Bethesda.net.

 

[silentbogo]

Available via what?!!!... That buggy mess they call Bethesda Launcher?
I sure hope they have some fixes hidden in a closet, cause it's still total garbage, which updates games not via patches, but by re-downloading the whole thing. It does not scale well on 2K/4K monitors, it bugs out if you play the game in exclusive full-screen at non-native resolution etc. etc. etc. etc.

Had to deal with this garbage all the way through closed beta of Quake Champions, and then quit for a few months, all the way 'till steam release.

 

[Valantar]

Have to say I see this as pretty great. It's about time major players in this industry start making active moves towards breaking Steam's current near-monopoly. Not that this is new (Origin, Uplay, GoG Galaxy, Battle.net, and so on), and the forced walled-in distributor "exclucivity" of this is potentially a bad thing, but we need drastic measures like this (making high-profile games explicitly "non-Steam") to train end-users to look for games in other places than the ease and convenience of Steam's increasingly developer-unfriendly and profit-hungering machinery. If we can train users to look for games in different places and price- (or feature-)compare across distribution platforms, that will go a long way towards removing Steam from its current monopolist position. Which will ultimately gain all gamers.

 

[cucker tarlson]

What game are you guys most anticipating in the coming months ?

Frankly I can't wait for Rage 2.

 

[Frick]

Have to say I see this as pretty great. It's about time major players in this industry start making active moves towards breaking Steam's current near-monopoly. Not that this is new (Origin, Uplay, GoG Galaxy, Battle.net, and so on), and the forced walled-in distributor "exclucivity" of this is potentially a bad thing, but we need drastic measures like this (making high-profile games explicitly "non-Steam") to train end-users to look for games in other places than the ease and convenience of Steam's increasingly developer-unfriendly and profit-hungering machinery. If we can train users to look for games in different places and price- (or feature-)compare across distribution platforms, that will go a long way towards removing Steam from its current monopolist position. Which will ultimately gain all gamers.

The problem I have is that everyone has their own launcher. You can't just install a game like in the olden days, oh no, you need launchers for everything, and yet another subsription. So in the end you'll have like five different accounts with five different publishers and everyone has their own launcher you have to keep up do date.

What game are you guys most anticipating in the coming months ?

Frankly I can't wait for Rage 2.

In the coming months I don't know, but C# Aurora and whatever next Stellaris thing is are high on my list.

 

[Valantar]

The problem I have is that everyone has their own launcher. You can't just install a game like in the olden days, oh no, you need launchers for everything, and yet another subsription. So in the end you'll have like five different accounts with five different publishers and everyone has their own launcher you have to keep up do date.

Have to agree with that. Sadly there are few other options, given how games are usually launched somewhere between 6 months and 2 years before they're actually stable and relatively bug-free, and need constant patching that would be quite difficult without a launcher with a built-in update system. Starting the game just to be told "You need to update me! Please wait 2 hours for the download to finish." would be quite frustrating.

A "universal" solution would be game updates distributed through Windows Update, which would be ... interesting Likely not better in any way, shape or form.

What game are you guys most anticipating in the coming months ?

Frankly I can't wait for Rage 2.

My backlog is way too long for me to contemplate what's coming. Still, Rage 2 does look very promising. Also, it's a game that doesn't try to be an MMO, an always-online competitive shooter and/or a Battle Royale game. Which is refreshing these days.

 

[Joss]

You can't just install a game like in the olden days

Yeap, that's the problem.

 

[Valantar]

Yeap, that's the problem.

Well, there is this thing called piracy

 

[rtwjunkie]

They will lose a lot of sales. Heck, they tried for awhile to monopolize the mod scene with Bethesda.net, but the majority of modders have not gravitated there.

I agree we do NOT need another launcher. If this continues, we’ll end up with 20(+) launchers from different publishers. No thanks.

 

[Tsukiyomi91]

@cucker tarlson not related to this but... the games I'm looking out for is of course FH4 & Metro Exodus. Back to topic: With how FO76 is going & Bethesda pulling away from millions of potential customers who are major in using Steam... I think they've dug a nice grave for the game & themselves.

 

[INSTG8R]

Yet another reason to be less and less interested in this game and it’s direction. I already regret the money I spent on Fallout 4 and it’s Season Pass, they couldn’t make this next one any less appealing...

 

[RejZoR]

Great, what we were always waiting for is 500 stupid launchers. GTFO Bethesda. I guess this is the end then as I really have no intention of running another one. Stop being greedy bastards and think of user convenience for once. Having just Steam and GOG was convenient. Then Origin and UPlay arrived and Battle.net, crappy Rockstar Launcher or whatever it was for GTA and Bethesda Launcher. Enough is enough. NO.

 

[cucker tarlson]

@cucker tarlson not related to this but... the games I'm looking out for is of course FH4 & Metro Exodus. Back to topic: With how FO76 is going & Bethesda pulling away from millions of potential customers who are major in using Steam... I think they've dug a nice grave for the game & themselves.

I posted in wrong thread,was supposed to go to waht are you playing.

 

[Tsukiyomi91]

@rtwjunkie there's just WAY too many clients as of 2018... Not a good way to bloat up one's gaming rig with more than 4 clients/launchers IMO...

@cucker tarlson xDD it's ok... we can continue there *wink*

 

[rtwjunkie]

Well, there is this thing called piracy

Im confused what this has to do with installing a game like the old days? Launchers don’t prevent piracy. Trust does.

GOG already allows this. That’s the only way I install over a hundred games from there...I refuse to add another launcher, hence no Galaxy.

I hope there is a big enough outcry across the internet at this that Bethesda relent and change their mind. One thing they don’t have, thankfully , is a backbone, with the number of times they have given in to fans on stupid moves.

 

[punani]

Fine with me as long as the launcher is "light" and they don't get greedy.

 

[Ruru]

This is an example how to fuck things up more and more.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

how nice of them. Coz no one is going to download & install Bethesda.net.

Except that so many people already did to play Fallout Shelter.

I think the decision to evade Steam is setting it up for a free-to-play in the not-so-distant future. Bethesda, like Blizzard, as their own platform to monetize the game through without giving a cut to Valve so they're going to do it.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Bye Felicia

 

[kastriot]

Greed, greed never changes..

 

[Dimi]

I had to use that pos to play the Quake Champions Alpha/Beta, never again lol.

BTW, you don't need the bethesda launcher for Fallout Shelter.

 

[FYFI13]

That's a showstopper for me. Oh well.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

BTW, you don't need the bethesda launcher for Fallout Shelter.

At first you did. Since then, they released on Steam and Windows Store where I can't find any trace of it.