[polotics]

Payment-processing companies for credit-cards typically take less than 2% of the paid amount, also capped with a maximum fees in the low single digit $ for larger payment amounts. That is "not greedy" in my reckoning, and it pays for all of the hardware and software to make your credit card effective and secure. Taking 30% as gate-keeping lordship rent is greedy, it treats customers and merchants as serfs of the Apple/Google kingdom. Just sayin'

[maccard]

Steam and EGS don't just offer payment processing. Bandwidth isn't free, neither is patching, distributaion and "curation" (albeit this one is definitely more debatable).

Even then, payment processing isn't just about taking a $10 transaction. A single dispute on Stripe will cost you $25 whether you are succesful or not. Handling payments in non-local currencies is 3.5% + 20p on stripe, plus currency conversion fees.

I don't think 30% is the right cut, but 2% isn't a fair comparison for the service.

[JimDabell]

Why are you comparing Steam to a payment processing gateway? Payment processing is just one small part of the services Steam offers. Of course a platform that offers a lot more is going to charge a lot more.

[rowanG077]

You really have to explain how you can even begin to compare a payment processer with steam.

Steam provides a ton of value add on top of payment processing. Advertisement, distribution, a storefront, a boatload of users.

[polotics]

Thanks for asking. - Advertisement: the free internet has lots of places for adds - Distribution: there are several very good protocols for transferring files, even ones with DRM! - Storefront: ...stores don't take a 30% cut of what they sell, and as we all know inventory costs are pretty low when it's all just bits on NAS storage. - Users: again, this is called the internet, they are there and what they need is curation. I would much rather a proper gatekeeper, say for example Polygon magazine, was able to pay real game testers and journalists to surface the really good game, and make a cut off of this, instead of the wasteland that's on display at whatsonsteam.com

[rowanG077]

You are not answering my question. You are simply enumerating ways how to do what steam does in other ways. My question is why are you comparing it to a payment processor.

[polotics]

I am comparing the greedy fee it charges...

[pkalinowski]

Why build dropbox, you can easily do it yourself just by using (...)