3 ms·

Also, the rent-seeking middleman business for PC games is easier and more profitable.

righthand 2y ago
Hold on, just need to validate this comment by phoning home. In the mean time enjoy DOOM for $1 this holiday season.
adamrezich 2y ago
Yeah Steam is terrible—I wish I still had to purchase my PC games from the other rent-seeking middleman at the Gamestop in the half-defunct mall in town, instead of clicking a few buttons and having a video game appear on my computer, ready to play. Though now that you mention it, it's weird, I never remember there being any indie PC games in my local Gamestop... strange...
jcranmer 2y ago
From the timeline, the decision to not pursue Episode 3 anymore was made well before Steam was a money printer, since this was back in 2008, and I don't think digital distribution became the dominant distribution medium until like 2010 or 2011 (note that Steam Greenlight only came into existence in 2012).
- Jtsummers 2y ago
  Steam made $1 billion in revenue in 2010. It may not have been the dominant distribution medium, but it was definitely a moneymaker by the end of the '00s.
  - jcranmer 2y ago
    Via sourcing from Wikipedia, https://web.archive.org/web/20110213025041/http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0228/technology-gabe-newell-videogames-valve-online-mayhem.html https://web.archive.org/web/20110213025041/http://www.forbes... notes that digital downloads surpassed physical media in 2010, and ancillary comments also indicate that it's on a pretty steep growth path at that time (Valve was rocking 200% growth rates at that time). Also, FWIW, Valve was regularly making ~one game a year, and only stopped that with the release of Dota 2 in 2013.
simoncion 2y ago
I'll happily fork over 30% of the money from my game sales in exchange for Valve providing shelf space, search indexing, and distribution for my video games for the rest of eternity. That deal absolutely beats the protons out of brick and mortar distribution deals.

Hold on, just need to validate this comment by phoning home. In the mean time enjoy DOOM for $1 this holiday season.

Yeah Steam is terrible—I wish I still had to purchase my PC games from the other rent-seeking middleman at the Gamestop in the half-defunct mall in town, instead of clicking a few buttons and having a video game appear on my computer, ready to play. Though now that you mention it, it's weird, I never remember there being any indie PC games in my local Gamestop... strange...

jcranmer 2y ago

From the timeline, the decision to not pursue Episode 3 anymore was made well before Steam was a money printer, since this was back in 2008, and I don't think digital distribution became the dominant distribution medium until like 2010 or 2011 (note that Steam Greenlight only came into existence in 2012).

Jtsummers 2y ago
Steam made $1 billion in revenue in 2010. It may not have been the dominant distribution medium, but it was definitely a moneymaker by the end of the '00s.
- jcranmer 2y ago
  Via sourcing from Wikipedia, https://web.archive.org/web/20110213025041/http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0228/technology-gabe-newell-videogames-valve-online-mayhem.html https://web.archive.org/web/20110213025041/http://www.forbes... notes that digital downloads surpassed physical media in 2010, and ancillary comments also indicate that it's on a pretty steep growth path at that time (Valve was rocking 200% growth rates at that time). Also, FWIW, Valve was regularly making ~one game a year, and only stopped that with the release of Dota 2 in 2013.

simoncion 2y ago

I'll happily fork over 30% of the money from my game sales in exchange for Valve providing shelf space, search indexing, and distribution for my video games for the rest of eternity. That deal absolutely beats the protons out of brick and mortar distribution deals.