What does the launcher do with regard to the operation of the game that cannot be done within the actual game itself? Is it due to a technical limitation or simply there for the convenience of the players? Are there alternatives to such methods of starting the execution of games?
Now I’m wondering, Minecraft released 6 years after Steam. Why wasn’t/isn’t Minecraft on Steam while it’s spinnoffs are?
Minecraft doesn’t need another distribution platform if players already know where to find it. So no point in giving Valve a cut.