Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has renewed his criticism of Valve and Steam, focusing on the services and business terms connected to the PC platform’s distribution system.
Sweeney’s comments followed a discussion involving a former principal animation programmer at Epic Games who criticized Steam’s 30% revenue share and suggested that modern development tools could make it easier for developers to build alternative storefronts. Sweeney joined the discussion by arguing that Valve’s approach to Steamworks has constrained the wider PC gaming industry.
Steamworks is at the center of the dispute
In the comments described by NoobFeed and previously covered by PC Gamer, Sweeney characterized Steamworks as a “walled garden.” His criticism centered on the way developers connect their games with players across different platforms when they use Valve’s distribution and online services.
The discussion also raised the distinction between distributing a game through Steam and using Valve’s networking infrastructure. A community note responding to Sweeney’s comments said developers can use Steam Datagram Relay and Valve’s servers across multiple platforms, provided their games are distributed through Steam. That point directly challenged the suggestion that Steamworks prevents developers from supporting connections outside Steam.
- Steam’s revenue share: The discussion revisited the commonly cited 30% cut of game sales.
- Steamworks services: Sweeney criticized how Valve’s tools affect distribution and connections between games and players.
- Cross-platform networking: A community note said Steam Datagram Relay and Valve’s servers can be used across platforms under the stated distribution condition.
Epic’s storefront remains part of the comparison
Epic Games Store launched as an alternative to Steam and used free-game giveaways and exclusive releases to attract PC players. The platform has not matched Steam’s level of adoption, leaving Epic’s challenge to Valve tied to both its policy arguments and its ability to establish its own storefront as a primary destination for PC games.
Sweeney has repeatedly criticized Valve’s revenue-sharing model and the role of Steamworks in PC distribution. The latest comments again put those disagreements in the context of the relationship between storefronts, developer services and the infrastructure used for online games.
