Tim Sweeney says Steamworks’ social features keep Steam-connected PC game communities from talking with players on iOS, Android, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and other PC storefronts. The claim is about the social network around Steam, not simply whether its multiplayer traffic can reach other platforms.
The argument followed criticism from Kiaran Ritchie, a former Epic Games principal animation programmer, of Steam’s 30% share of gross game revenue. Ritchie argued that an alternative storefront is technically achievable and questioned why developers cannot pay separately for the Steamworks services they use. He also argued that Steam’s network matters more than its client. His initial post began the exchange, and his follow-up laid out the case for a separate storefront and network.
The client is basically irrelevant in this day and age. Anyone could build one better than Steam and it wouldn't even be hard. I only bring it up because it's what everyone talks about when defending Steam. Like it's still 2024 and these things are hard.
Steams only remaining…
— Kiaran Ritchie (@kiaran_ritchie) October 26, 2026
Sweeney endorsed Ritchie’s broader criticism, focusing on Steamworks’ social features and the limits he sees for communication between Steam players and users on other platforms.
Exactly this. Valve has held gaming back for years by locking developers’ PC games into Steamworks’ social walled garden where players can’t talk to other players on iOS, Android, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, or even other PC stores.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) October 27, 2026
Valve’s Steam Datagram Relay documentation describes a service that routes multiplayer traffic through Valve’s network and can help protect players and game servers from denial-of-service attacks. Games can use it across platforms if they also launch on Steam and meet Valve’s requirements. The relay does not provide cross-platform chat or friend management.
A community note on Sweeney’s post pointed out that some games use Steamworks only for authentication to support cross-play, handling their other services themselves. Sweeney’s response was that Steam Datagram Relay handles network traffic, not the social features and cross-platform conversations he criticized. Steamworks also includes matchmaking, achievements, and leaderboards, so the discussion reaches beyond the relay itself.
On October 28, Sweeney acknowledged that Valve does not force developers to use Steamworks. He argued that studios building their own account and social systems start from zero, and can face review-bombing pressure to adopt Steamworks. Epic offers another option in Epic Online Services, a free social and matchmaking framework that uses Epic’s account system but can also be used outside the Epic Games Store.
The revenue-share debate and the limits of cross-platform communication are related, but not identical. Developers can question Steam’s 30% cut while still weighing the reach of Steam’s existing network, the services bundled into Steamworks, and the work of running another account and social system.
Should storefront services such as matchmaking and social tools be bundled with game sales, or should developers pay only for the tools they use? Follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram for more on the debate over storefront fees and the services attached to them.
