The main reason that sort of model works for valve so well is threefold. Valve is at best, a medium sized company so its more worthwhile for them to bother fro

The main reason that sort of model works for valve so well is threefold. Valve is at best, a medium sized company so its more worthwhile for them to bother from a profit per employee perspective (hats make them a lot of money in a relative sense, but it wouldn't be a notable blip on facebook or twitters radar) because... Valves market is almost 100% heavily committed and "entrenched" customers, people that have steam accounts worth $100s/$1000s, there is a good chance that they are already capturing most of the value in the "games hat market" dispite being only a fraction of the total game market. because... Valve is an extremely well liked and trusted company by their customers, likely because other players in the gaming space have been exploitative and abusive to truely mustache twirling comicbook villan levels. People have less worry sinking a lot of money into their platform because they both like them, and are generally of the opinion that even if they screw up, they usually make things right. How many people love facebook or twitter as a company the way people love valve? not many id warrent. It should be noted, hats started off as a thing at valve BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE COMPLAINING THERE WAS NO EASY WAY TO GIVE VALVE MORE MONEY. How many people are lining up to shower zuckerberg with more money? Its just not in the DNA of a company like facebook to engender that sort of rabbid fanboyism, maybe it was for twitter once upon a time, but they have burned community goodwill by the railcar-full.