Tim Sweeney Wants Steam to Join a More Open Gaming Ecosystem

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney says Valve and Steam are leaving major business opportunities behind by not carrying some of the industry’s biggest live-service games, including Fortnite, Riot Games titles, and Genshin Impact. He believes Steam could reach a much larger audience by taking a more open approach across PC, mobile, and other platforms.

Sweeney’s comments came after he called for what he describes as “Team Open,” a broader gaming ecosystem where stores, services, and platforms are less closed off from one another. In his view, Steam remains one of the strongest gaming businesses on PC, but it is still limited by the games and platforms it does not support.

Valve has not responded publicly to the idea, and there is no sign that Steam is planning a major change in direction.

Steam Has a Huge Audience but Misses Some Major Live-Service Games

Steam is the dominant PC gaming storefront for premium games, indie releases, and large third-party launches. However, several of the biggest live-service games operate through their own launchers or ecosystems instead of Steam.

Fortnite is tied closely to Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services. Riot Games runs League of Legends, Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, and other titles through its own platform. Genshin Impact also has its own launcher and account system.

Major game ecosystem	Main platform approach
Fortnite	Epic Games Store and Epic account ecosystem
Riot Games titles	Riot Client
Genshin Impact	HoYoverse launcher and account system
Steam games	Valve storefront and Steamworks tools
Xbox PC titles	Microsoft Store, Xbox app and PC Game Pass

Sweeney argues that Steam could generate far more revenue if it found a way to include these games while supporting a more connected system for developers and players.

That could mean allowing additional storefronts, supporting more third-party payment systems, or expanding Steam beyond traditional PC gaming.

Mobile Could Be the Biggest Opportunity

The most ambitious part of Sweeney’s argument is the possibility of Steam becoming available on iPhone and Android devices.

Steam already reaches millions of people through Steam Deck, remote play, and its mobile app, but it is not a full game distribution platform on phones. If Valve could offer a proper Steam store on mobile devices, it could potentially compete with Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

That would be difficult. Mobile platforms have strict rules, payment systems, technical limitations, and regional restrictions. Apple and Google also take a significant share of purchases made through their stores.

Still, recent legal and regulatory pressure around mobile app stores has created more discussion about alternative marketplaces.

Epic and Valve Still Have Major Differences

Sweeney’s proposal may sound cooperative, but Epic and Valve have not always agreed on how digital game stores should operate.

Epic has criticised Steam’s revenue structure, while Valve has remained focused on its own ecosystem and developer tools. Sweeney has also recently criticised Steam’s policy requiring developers to disclose the use of generative AI in games and products.

That creates a clear philosophical divide.

Issue	Epic’s general position	Valve’s current approach
Store fees	Lower revenue share	Standard Steam revenue structure
Platform openness	Pushes for more third-party access	Strongly controlled Steam ecosystem
Mobile distribution	Wants alternative stores	No major Steam mobile storefront
AI disclosure	Critical of mandatory labels	Requires developers to disclose use
Live-service ecosystems	Favors wider interoperability	Focused on Steam-native services

Valve may see little reason to change because Steam remains highly successful. Adding Fortnite, Riot games, or Genshin Impact could increase reach, but it could also introduce new business complications, account systems, support issues, and revenue-sharing disputes.

Steam Is Unlikely to Change Quickly

Steam has expanded its hardware efforts with products such as Steam Deck, Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and Steam Frame, but its core approach has remained consistent. Valve tends to make gradual changes rather than large public shifts in strategy.

Sweeney’s comments highlight a larger question facing the industry: should major game stores become more open and connected, or should companies continue building separate ecosystems around their own accounts, libraries, and services?

For now, Steam, Epic, Riot, HoYoverse, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Apple, and Google all benefit from keeping players inside their own systems. That makes a fully connected “Team Open” future difficult to imagine, even if the commercial opportunity is large.