Vote with your wallet. This stuff is transparent. Steam site pages I form you and if you can't be bothered checking those, there's PCGamingWiki or a quick question in the game's forum or on Reddit.

Don't want this stuff? Don't buy games with this stuff. Problem solved.

Valve encourages developers to implement their own DRM.

Valve is the 3rd party. In case you didn't know.

Originally posted by Komarimaru:

Valve is the 3rd party. In case you didn't know.

Idc, if I bought it on Steam, I shouldn't be forced to download a different launcher to play the game.

Originally posted by Casey:

Originally posted by Komarimaru:

Valve is the 3rd party. In case you didn't know.

Idc, if I bought it on Steam, I shouldn't be forced to download a different launcher to play the game.

Then buy it on the main platform it's from.

Originally posted by Casey:

I know, how original, but I honestly never understood why Valve can't make a rule that if Ubisoft or whoever wants to put their game on Steam, they shouldn't be allowed to force us to download their launcher too.

Why?

1. Valve isn't interesting in controlling other people's products
   
2. Valve has been very successful by being pro-developer and not dictating how the rest of the gaming industry should act.
   
3. It would be anti-competitive.
   
4. If Valve pisses off all the major publishers, what do you think might happen?

Publishers are going to want to have their own stores and their own launchers. And what you're suggesting, even if it's not your intent, is anti-competitive. Steam using its position to dictate what publishers can do with their products. Doing that would alienate publishers, and they're important to Steam. They're Steam customers too you know. And in the grand scheme of things, Valve would rather lose you than any publisher.

You're not the only person with an axe to grind against first party launchers. But most people can tolerate them or don't care. And if you don't want to deal with multiple launchers, when launching a game, buy the game direct from the publisher. The days of Steam being the only launcher in town are dead and gone and never coming back.

Originally posted by Casey:

It's stupid, and pointless. And frankly, I am tired of having like 10 different launchers to play a game. At this point if the game asks me to download their launcher in order to play, I just delete it and refund it if I bought it.

I kinda envy the console only players for not being forced to deal with this bs.

It's a matter of tradeoffs. Things may be simpler on consoles. But PC is an open platform with limitless possibilities. And Valve doesn't control the PC market place like Sony, MS and Nintendo control their consoles. So of course there's differences.

Originally posted by Casey:

Originally posted by Komarimaru:

Valve is the 3rd party. In case you didn't know.

Idc, if I bought it on Steam, I shouldn't be forced to download a different launcher to play the game.

That's the story in your head. it's never been the reality. It's what you want. But you might as well want Marvel movies to be documentaries filmed in real time.

You may not actually care why, you may only care about getting what you want. Get used to disappointment.