I wonder what the impact on piracy will be? It’s probably harder to rip streaming services than it is to rip blu-rays…

There only needs to be a couple people knowing how to get a rip for it to end up everywhere.

If physical releases start disappearing everywhere, I can see piracy getting a significant boost. It will be the only way to “own” a movie and be sure you can still watch it whenever you want. Disney has been removing content from its service already, even some recent stuff.

I know Gabe Newell’s old quote is being parroted a lot but it’s relevant : “Piracy is not a pricing issue, it’s a service issue”. Steam may be a digital market, but it doesn’t require a continued paid subscription to access stuff you’ve paid for, and it doesn’t delist games whenever it feels like it.

FWIW, Gabe’s argument isn’t against subscriptions. The point in that quote is that legal access to content curbs piracy. Piracy will of course always exist, but there’s also customers that are willing to pay if is convenient and accessible.