5 ms·

My two cents on Stadia: people don't like platforms that challenge Steam. Steam was the first big digital games marketplace, and people have been using it for

My two cents on Stadia: people don't like platforms that challenge Steam. Steam was the first big digital games marketplace, and people have been using it for a long time. They've amassed many games, the future playability of which depends on the continued availability of Steam to host the code. If you threaten Steam, you threaten a lot of hardcore gamer's libraries. Any platform that tries to compete is always controversial. That's why I think some may be rooting for failure, formed through anecdotal observation.

gp7 7y ago
Steam only hosts the code incidentally. It manages your licenses. This is a big difference, and it's one publishers are free to work around if they wanted to.
- pbhjpbhj 7y ago
  Are you saying that Steam/Valve doesn't have any lock-in contracts? So, if my game is sold on Steam then I could let people 'port' it to another provider? That would surprise me, but it would be great.
  - imtyler 7y ago
    GOG Connect may be along the lines of what you're describing. The compatibly of games is on a temporary basis set by the publisher, but, yes, it does allow you to activate Steam purchases on GOG.
  - Faark 7y ago
    If by "port" you mean remove it from a steam accounts library and add it somewhere else on a different platform then no, I never heard about something like that. But you are free to give an extra copy to the other account, while accepting that some people will abuse this. Just like you can let people buy the game somewhere else and give them steam keys that can afaik be generated for free while missing out on some steam features like reviews being counted. Or do you exclusivity contracts? There are certainly games that were sold on Steam and are now exclusively available on Epic's Store. Satisfactory is an example that comes to mind. Copies sold on steam are still honored there, so the contract probably doesn't allow you to force users off steam after the sale. In general I'm quite amazed at how little abusive practices Valve has shown while having a quasi monopoly for such a long time. Stagnation is probably the one, if you want to count that. I hope they won't become worse under pressure. And I certainly have little trust in other companies trying to replace Steam to behave as well.
- imtyler 7y ago
  When it comes to DRM and content hosting, the recent closure of the Microsoft ebook store comes to mind. If a marketplace is underutilized it risks becoming obsolete. And, unfortunately, sometimes that means loosing access to content. There are additional considerations, of course. Steam is also a social network of sorts, so fracturing gaming communities is also of concern. But it could also just be that gamers are accustomed to Steam; they like it. And they don't like platforms that don't play well with it.
- mondoshawan 7y ago
  This is somewhat myopic -- there would be no incentive politically or monetarily for a publisher to a) track these licenses to the individual or b) give out new licenses to previous purchases.
pier25 7y ago
> people don't like platforms that challenge Steam It's not a matter of challenging Steam but of convenience. Much like streaming, everyone prefers having their content on a single app/platform/whatever. Plus Steam has some other benefits like Big Picture that nobody else has.
- v7p1Qbt1im 7y ago
  It‘s always interesting when people like monopolies one day and call for antitrust the next. Besides data sovereignty and user manipulation, the relationship between competition and convenience seems like the biggest issue in tech now. And there are no real solutions. It‘s obvious why tech is so consolidated. Marginal cost of growth is pretty much zero. 2 to 3 platform for a given use case might be the most „efficient“. Chances are that quite a few of the new streaming services will disappear/consolidate soon enough.
  - imtyler 7y ago
    I'm a fan of what Disney did with MoviesAnywhere-- buy a movie once and it becomes playable through all participating linked providers. So you can, for instance, buy a movie on Amazon and play it back on iTunes. The catch being that it only applies to movie purchases by participating studios. No rentals, subscription based streaming, or TV shows. But imagine if that's how other services worked. One can always dream.
- chii 7y ago
  I believe it's actually that people don't like exclusivity of platform. A game for PC should be sold on all platforms (or at least the major ones). A tv series should be distributed on all platforms, rather than just HBO or Neflix or Hulu. Making exclusivity deals should be outlawed as anti-consumer.

gp7 7y ago

Steam only hosts the code incidentally. It manages your licenses. This is a big difference, and it's one publishers are free to work around if they wanted to.

pbhjpbhj 7y ago
Are you saying that Steam/Valve doesn't have any lock-in contracts? So, if my game is sold on Steam then I could let people 'port' it to another provider? That would surprise me, but it would be great.
- imtyler 7y ago
  GOG Connect may be along the lines of what you're describing. The compatibly of games is on a temporary basis set by the publisher, but, yes, it does allow you to activate Steam purchases on GOG.
- Faark 7y ago
  If by "port" you mean remove it from a steam accounts library and add it somewhere else on a different platform then no, I never heard about something like that. But you are free to give an extra copy to the other account, while accepting that some people will abuse this. Just like you can let people buy the game somewhere else and give them steam keys that can afaik be generated for free while missing out on some steam features like reviews being counted. Or do you exclusivity contracts? There are certainly games that were sold on Steam and are now exclusively available on Epic's Store. Satisfactory is an example that comes to mind. Copies sold on steam are still honored there, so the contract probably doesn't allow you to force users off steam after the sale. In general I'm quite amazed at how little abusive practices Valve has shown while having a quasi monopoly for such a long time. Stagnation is probably the one, if you want to count that. I hope they won't become worse under pressure. And I certainly have little trust in other companies trying to replace Steam to behave as well.
imtyler 7y ago
When it comes to DRM and content hosting, the recent closure of the Microsoft ebook store comes to mind. If a marketplace is underutilized it risks becoming obsolete. And, unfortunately, sometimes that means loosing access to content. There are additional considerations, of course. Steam is also a social network of sorts, so fracturing gaming communities is also of concern. But it could also just be that gamers are accustomed to Steam; they like it. And they don't like platforms that don't play well with it.
mondoshawan 7y ago
This is somewhat myopic -- there would be no incentive politically or monetarily for a publisher to a) track these licenses to the individual or b) give out new licenses to previous purchases.

pier25 7y ago

> people don't like platforms that challenge Steam It's not a matter of challenging Steam but of convenience. Much like streaming, everyone prefers having their content on a single app/platform/whatever. Plus Steam has some other benefits like Big Picture that nobody else has.

v7p1Qbt1im 7y ago
It‘s always interesting when people like monopolies one day and call for antitrust the next. Besides data sovereignty and user manipulation, the relationship between competition and convenience seems like the biggest issue in tech now. And there are no real solutions. It‘s obvious why tech is so consolidated. Marginal cost of growth is pretty much zero. 2 to 3 platform for a given use case might be the most „efficient“. Chances are that quite a few of the new streaming services will disappear/consolidate soon enough.
- imtyler 7y ago
  I'm a fan of what Disney did with MoviesAnywhere-- buy a movie once and it becomes playable through all participating linked providers. So you can, for instance, buy a movie on Amazon and play it back on iTunes. The catch being that it only applies to movie purchases by participating studios. No rentals, subscription based streaming, or TV shows. But imagine if that's how other services worked. One can always dream.
chii 7y ago
I believe it's actually that people don't like exclusivity of platform. A game for PC should be sold on all platforms (or at least the major ones). A tv series should be distributed on all platforms, rather than just HBO or Neflix or Hulu. Making exclusivity deals should be outlawed as anti-consumer.