Comment by filoleg
4 years ago
>I could walk into Best Buy and buy the game I want off the shelf.
If you try doing it for any PC games released over the past decade, you are more likely than not gonna have a disk with some installable files and a Steam code in the box. Without that Steam code, there is no way for you to play the game.
At this point, there isn't any difference between buying directly from Steam, as opposed to "walking into Best Buy and buying the game you want off the shelf".
Steam does not take a cut from steam keys sold off steam.
https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/keys
Even if what you say is indeed the case (which is very possible), it still leaves a major question on the table.
What's the point if you (as a customer) end up paying the same price at the end of the day anyway, and you still have to use Steam DRM? The only difference in your case is that the cut is going to Best Buy instead of Steam.