Rockstar’s Launcher Is Just the Newest in a Trend
Big news from the past week: Rockstar Games is the newest big publisher to release their own PC launcher. They’re following in the footsteps of companies like EA and Ubisoft, who’ve long had their equivalents with Origin and UPlay, respectively. This will lead to one of two scenarios: Either Rockstar will start releasing games exclusively on their storefront from here on, or they’ll make future PC port functionality so tied to their launcher that anyone who purchases their games on other storefronts will wish they purchased it on Rockstar’s in the first place. Either way, this is a game changer.
This is the newest in a trend of big publishers providing their own storefronts and launchers instead of simply continuing to release games on other platforms, meaning the hell some PC players envisioned is coming further to fruition. The dream of being able to purchase everything off Steam to have an entire software collection in one convenient place (outside occasional DRM-free options on the side) is slowly dying. It couldn’t be clearer that the Epic Games Store isn’t the only hindrance to this desire. But this is happening for one key reason: Control. No, not the recently-released game.
Specifically, companies want to have control over everything with PC games on their own launchers. Players will purchase and play games by their rules, and companies will profit immensely from it. When publishers release their games on Steam, for instance, Valve takes a 30-percent cut from every purchase, while Epic Games takes a mere 12-percent cut. But there’s no telling when those rules can suddenly change; taking a comparatively smaller cut may not be profitable for Epic Games forever given how much they’re shelling out to developers for exclusives, nor will Fortnite be an immense moneymaker forever. When publishers have their own storefront, they’ll make all the profits and won’t have to share anything with anyone.
This, of course, may not entirely be what Rockstar has in mind. They could follow Ubisoft’s model, which has released games on other storefronts in addition to their own UPlay service for years. But their products still require UPlay functionality regardless of where they’re from. Ubisoft has since made a deal to release their games only on the EGS outside UPlay. But given how well Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption games perform on the market, they could very well only be available on their service. Grand Theft Auto V is also still a best-selling game more than six years after its release, and the company’s higher-ups are undoubtedly salivating at the thought of making more profits.
The early incentive being a free copy of the classic (and memetic) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will only further incentivize those who download the launcher to purchase more games on the platform.
In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this pushed Rockstar to finally release the Red Dead Redemption games on PC. The gaming audience has been asking for the first game on PC since it released nearly a decade ago, and Red Dead Redemption 2’s release would be just as anticipated. The ports would undoubtedly be profitable, so it could be a case of when, and not if, they arrive.
The possible plan to move titles exclusively to their service could work out, assuming they’re quick with ironing out the common kinks that tend to manifest in launchers in their early days. GTAV required an online connection to play when the launcher first arrived, even though that shouldn’t be necessary for its lengthy single-player campaign. Good thing this was only a glitch instead of the deliberately cynical move it could have been, and that Rockstar was quick in fixing it.
Rockstar is only the latest publisher to make their own launcher, and they’ll be far from the last. Companies doing this will receive heaps of criticism along the way, with how segmented the PC software ecosphere is becoming, but that won’t matter when their software is highly anticipated. I’ll bet my entire gaming collection that several gaming types vocally complaining about Rockstar’s launcher as you’re reading this (justifiably or not) will buy the Red Dead Redemption games if they come to the platform. That’s how these things always go.
Anyone who plays games on PC will simply have to adjust to this, particularly those who will still find this to be a better alternative compared to going back to consoles. There’s a chance this may not be as bad as the biggest skeptics think, if publishers provide prompt updates for their games and have streamlined and polished launchers. The current non-Steam examples still have a ways to go before they’re on par with that platform, but they could get there with enough care and pressure from the gaming audience. You’ll want to note the staggering number of “what if’s” here.
They could also assume the gaming audience will buy the games regardless of the quality of their launchers. Cynicism seems to win out often these days, but hopefully that scenario is avoided here.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
