Rage 2 is reportedly exclusive to Bethesda.net launcher on PC

Bethesda.net launcher is associated right know mostly with technical issues thanks to its poor performance during Fallout 76 B.E.T.A. If you recall, there was a bug with players' data being deleted which is now solved. Nevertheless, it left a bitter aftertaste and a strong desire to see Bethesda's games back on Steam.

Judging by the recent listing of Rage 2, these dreams are about to stay dreams. A few retailers, including Green Man Gaming and Fanatical, have listed the PC version of Rage 2 with no traces of Steam in the description rather mentioning "Bethesda" as a platform of choice. Fanatical in particular has gone even further specifically underlining that the key for the game can only be activated via Bethesda.net launcher - and not Steam. The official Bethesda store doesn't mention Steam either. Are we facing another Bethesda.net exclusive here?

Bethesda's wish to stay out of Steam in understandable from a financial point of view. Giving Valve a 30% cut of sails is pretty painful, but it is worth noting that Steam is a well-established digital platform with a huge user base - whereas Bethesda.net is rather "raw" to say the least. The case of Rage 2 is also interesting due to the fact that it's a singleplayer game. When Bethesda announced the plans to have Fallout 76 as a Bethesda.net exclusive, the company said that the decision was influenced by the necessity to maintain an online game within its own digital service in order to reach the player base directly without relying on a 3rd party service.

That was a reasonable response, but if Rage 2 turns out to be a Bethesda.net exclusive the aforementioned argument will no longer be eligible. Why can't just Bethesda outright announce a full-scale exodus out of Steam? Well, maybe because the company has already received its portion of hate recently and doesn't want to further irritate community.

It is still just a speculation though, so we better wait for an official announcement.