Looks like it’s time for Steam to step aside. The Discord gaming messenger has launched a beta version of its own store and promises good support to indie developers who will release their games first in this store.
We are talking about temporary exclusivity for 90 days. At the same time, it is still unclear exactly how the messenger plans to support the teams. Most likely, we are talking about a feature. Although, given the capabilities of the platform, it is possible to fantasize and assume that it will send push messages to its entire audience.
Recall that Discord’s audience exceeded 130 million users, and SuperData analysts called it the main threat to Steam. The messenger is becoming a favorite place for players to communicate. At the same time, large companies tend to leave Steam in order not to pay deductions from the sales of their games. If indie developers also prefer the Discord store, it is not very clear who the Valve store will rely on.
By the way, in the starting line of the store will be: Dead Cells, Frostpunk, Omensight, Into the Breach, SpellForce 3, The Banner Saga 3, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, Hollow Knight, Moonlighter, This is the Police 2 and Starbound.
Together with the announcement of the store, Discord announced the upgrade of the paid Nitro subscription. Previously, it allowed you to use animated emojis and improve the video quality when showing the screen. Now the subscription will also give access to the library of cult games of the past years (a la System Shock). At the same time, the subscription price will remain the same — $ 50 per year.
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