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this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2026
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I disagree with your statement. 20 years of head start could also be seen as 20 years of polishing a previously non-existent service. Today Steam's features are widely known. Just make an app with same or similar features and you're golden. The blueprint is there!
As an example of "what-could-have-been" I would present Immich which is an alternative to Google Photos and iCloud. Developed by a tiny group of people. It does lack some features that Google Photos/iCloud has. But for the most part it easily could substitute anyone's photo-storing needs.
If bunch of people with no money in their pocket and only free time off work managed to develop a fully functional, well polished photo app that would rival market giants, why cant market giants make something that would rival Steam?
I see your point, but I also think that Steam is so much more than what your example gives. In your case, Steam also has Instagram built in, it has photography forums, it has low-level interfaces to standardize hardware control across multiple camera brands and types, it has a body & lens store, it offers additional software to aid in photo editing, and... and... and...
It's really an impressive accomplishment what Valve have done with Steam and the hardware/software in its orbit. And that's not even mentioning all the work that they've poured into the open-source community to make Linux a viable gaming platform. Yes, it serves them all in the end, but little of it is easy and it's all taken a lot of work over the years.
Comparing a photo app to steam is like comparing basic addition to quantum physics.
The sheer amount of complexity that goes into the business side out side of just the app it self is truly immense.
Steam is more then just an app. It's entire business empire with years and years of connections, agreements and contracts, secondary services, infrastructure and more.
Even if you managed to clone steam 1:1 you would still have nothing. The app alone is honestly the least important aspect of the entire thing.