that’s probably because it’s not a megacorp, but a private company owned by a single person. not a corporation at all.

there’s a big difference. a corporation is owned by a board of investors. those companies are legally obligated to provide maximum return for their investors. corporations have been sued for being “too charitable to their customers” rather than maximize profits. a private company can do whatever it wants at the whims of it’s owner. in this case Gabe Newell actually kind of wants to create a decent experience because that’s what he believes has created their market dominance. he’s right.

corporations like Ubisoft and ea are legally obligated to squeeze you for every penny in their platforms.