Retailers Versus Steam? [Nov 11, 2010, 11:08 am ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
A story on MCV with a quote in the headline (which isn't in the article itself) stating "Valve monopoly is killing PC market," reports they understand "that at least two big-name digital retailers are facing financial difficulties as they struggle to compete" with Steam. "I've fought hard for my customer, and never before have I had to give my customers away. Steam is killing the PC market and it is no wonder digital retailers are failing," says the director of a Steam rival. "Steam is locking down the market." In a separate report they also discuss retailer dissatisfaction with Steam's dominance of the marketplace, which insiders tell them amounts to 80% of PC downloadable games. Since this competes with online sales initiatives by retailers, they say at least two major U.K. merchants will demand that publishers remove Steam integration from their games or they will refuse to sell them. With PC game sales at retail stores in steady decline, it seems an odd moment for these stores to flex their atrophying muscle, but they quote the head of sales at a big-name digital service provider saying: "At the moment the big digital distributors need to stock games with Steam. But the power resides with bricks and mortar retailers, they can refuse to stock these titles. Publishers are hesitant, but retail must put pressure on them."
DrEvil wrote on Nov 11, 2010, 17:51:Nxs wrote on Nov 11, 2010, 16:41:Nxs wrote on Nov 11, 2010, 12:22:Almost any game? What? Nonsense, plenty of games don't use steam. You are talking full steamworks games which are a minority, not a majority. Just because you can buy it on steam and use it on steam, doesn't mean steam is required if you buy a retail copy.
Wrong! What is really driving people to steam? You can't play a damn PC game without it!IN other words, you have no choice but to play almost any PC game on steam no matter where you bought it.
It does if that retail copy uses steamworks DRM, which a lot of retail copies do.
While there are some titles soled on Steam and also sold in the store without steam, those seem far less common than the "steam-only" variety.
Yes, I really do understand the difference. The problem is, I don't care! I do not want a third party installed on my computer to play a game I just paid for!
It makes no sense to me why everyone seems to be defending steam/steamworks.
We have all been through this before! Piracy will continue to happen no matter what anyone does. It is a fact! Punishing legit customers because you are afraid piracy will hurt your bottom line is just insane!
I understand that devs and publishers want to protect their property and they have every right to. I just don't think steam, steamworks, battlenet, or any other DRM like that is justified.
If I was a rich man, I would bet a million dollars that if you gave people a choice between a game that requires steam or steamworks or just a simple CD code, my money would go with the CD code.
Steam sucks monkey balls! That is my opinion and I'm sticking to it!
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