---
title: "Platform War: Tim Sweeney Criticizes Steam's 'Closedness' and Proposes an Open Market Revolution"
description: "Tim Sweeney openly criticized Steam's business model, pointing to high commissions and the lack of integration with top games. Despite Valve's record 42 million online users, the head of Epic Games proposes the 'Team Open' concept to unify markets. ⚔️🎮"
date: 2026-06-27T23:20:16.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/platform-war-tim-sweeney-criticizes-steam-and-proposes-open-market-revolution
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Platform War: Tim Sweeney Criticizes Steam's 'Closedness' and Proposes an Open Market Revolution

![Tim Sweeney with a BAFTA award, symbolizing his contribution to the industry and criticism of closed platforms](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/27/tim-sweeney-kritika-steam-i-koncepciya-otkrytogo-rynka/tim-sweeney-kritika-steam-i-koncepciya-otkrytogo-rynka-1.webp)

The gaming industry is on the brink of a new round of confrontation between giants. Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, known for his uncompromising stance in disputes with technological monopolies, has launched a harsh critique against Valve and its flagship platform, Steam. In a series of interviews with industry publications, including PC Gamer and IGN, Sweeney questioned the effectiveness of the closed business model that has dominated the market for over two decades.

### Distribution Economics: The Battle of Commissions

The main thrust of the Epic Games CEO's argument targeted Valve's financial model. According to Sweeney, maintaining high commissions and refusing to integrate with major free-to-play (F2P) projects are hindering the development of the entire industry. Specifically, this refers to industry titans such as Fortnite, Genshin Impact, and the Riot Games product line, which are still absent from the Steam catalog.

The situation is exacerbated by differences in monetization approaches:

- **Epic Games Store (EGS)** offers publishers a fixed commission rate of 12% of revenue.

- **Valve Steam** maintains a base rate of up to 30% (reducing to 20% only after crossing the $50 million threshold).

This difference becomes a critical factor for major publishers, especially in the segment of in-game purchases, where Valve imposes strict requirements on payment processing.

### The Paradox of Records and Strategy

Despite the criticism, statistics at the beginning of 2026 show that Valve's model remains incredibly resilient. According to independent audit reports from January 2026, Steam set a new historical record, registering more than 42 million concurrent users. This confirms that the platform holds about 74% of the global PC distribution market, while Epic Games Store's share is a modest 3%.

The absence of hits like League of Legends or Valorant on Steam is explained not only by economics but also by institutional competition. Valve is developing its own competitive franchises — Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2, which are direct competitors to Riot Games' products.

### The 'Team Open' Concept and New Challenges

In response to Valve's dominance, Tim Sweeney introduced the 'Team Open' initiative. This concept proposes the creation of a cross-border digital environment where social graphs and virtual assets (cosmetics, currency) could freely move between the Epic, Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, and Tencent ecosystems. Sweeney believes that openness, not exclusivity, will be the key to the future market.

However, the conflict has gone beyond economics. Epic Games management expressed disagreement with Steam's new rules regarding generative artificial intelligence. Valve introduced requirements for labeling products using AI, which Sweeney called excessive bureaucracy hindering developers from implementing new tools, such as Unreal Engine 5.8 and 6.

### Conclusion of the Confrontation

Official representatives of Valve traditionally refrain from public comments, preferring to focus on developing internal infrastructure: the Workshop, the Marketplace, and the Steam Deck hardware ecosystem. According to antitrust regulations and legal precedents, the key factor in platform stability remains not title exclusivity, but the depth of audience retention (Retention Rate) within the established closed infrastructure. While Valve successfully maintains its leadership, Epic Games continues the fight to rewrite the rules of the game.