There was a time not too long ago when Steam stood as the undisputed guardian of the PC gaming community, where every player would jog to get the latest titles, or eagerly wait for industry-best sales. Those days are largely over now, with the advent of competing marketplaces like Epic Games Store, and GOG. Steam is still the top dog, but it's no longer the only one, and it looks like a new player is now joining the race. Chinese tech firm ByteDance — parent company of TikTok — is mapping out its own Steam competitor called "GameTop," according to IT Home (machine translation).
Localized job postings for the marketplace reveal that it's supposed to cater to "overseas markets" which would suggest a global push into distribution and publishing, expanding beyond just Beijing. At the moment, no other store can truly stand up to Steam, but with the right resources and execution, the barrier to entry can be lowered. Especially when you consider that Steam isn't doing too hot right now, with controversy after controversy staining its once-Teflon-coated reputation.
