Former Epic engineer Kiaran Ritchie says Steam users block competition

GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed

IGN reports former Epic Games engineer Kiaran Ritchie posted a long Twitter thread criticizing Valve and Steam, saying "no amount of competition will ever unseat Steam." According to IGN, Ritchie raised concerns about Valve's 30% cut on game sales and blamed Steam users for being hostile to competing stores. IGN says Ritchie argued even objectively better alternative stores would be rejected by Steam users as a threat to their investment. The article notes Epic's rivalry with Valve is longstanding and that Ritchie's thread followed his post about Valve's revenue share.

• What happened: IGN reports ex-Epic engineer Kiaran Ritchie published a long Twitter post criticizing Valve and Steam and declaring that "no amount of competition will ever unseat Steam."
• Why it matters: IGN says Ritchie linked his critique to Valve's 30% cut on game sales and argued that Steam users' hostility to other stores prevents alternatives from gaining traction.
• Context: IGN notes Epic's rivalry with Valve is longstanding and usually voiced by CEO Tim Sweeney, and that Ritchie's thread came after his post about Valve's 30% revenue share.
• What next: IGN does not report any response from Valve, developers, or Steam users, so any change in store competition or platform behavior is not confirmed by the article.