Well we have a couple of problems on the table at the moment. Stop Killing Games is a good exemplar of one so I won't go there. But the other is "what happens if Steam goes evil?". Remember Google's old motto?

The only solution is you download stuff and it remains runnable and usable without any connection or authorisation to any service. The distribution of it can remain wherever and you can go via a side channel if you want. But being tied to a platform is utterly wrong.

If the payment processor shuts your revenue down you can move elsewhere. With Stream as the distributor, you can't. It's a single point of failure.

>The only solution is you download stuff and it remains runnable and usable without any connection or authorisation to any service.

I agree, but that could still be done even when using a centralized distribution platform. I would say those are two separate issues. I think (not positive) that's the whole premise of GOG, isn't it?

>If the payment processor shuts your revenue down you can move elsewhere.

Not really, though. If the payment processor stops doing business with your company, your shit out of luck. Instead of pressuring steam or whoever, they just pressure you directly. The single (well, double) point of failure always chains up to the payment processors.

How exactly does an independent developer have more choice or power against credit card processors alone? That's not how it works. Mega platforms have more power and still get pushed around. Indies are completely beholden to the whims of the payment platforms unless they opt out and accept crypto instead. Mega platforms could also accept crypto for controversial or all content too.