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."
I hate getting in on a 100+ post thread late, cause I fear what I say may just be parroting what someone else has written. But from what I have seen from skimming over the posts in this thread, I tend to agree with the majority sentiment of:
Everyone - EVERYONE - was calling the PC dead before Steam came along. Once Valve whipped Steam up into shape, I can confidently say that if it didn't single-handedly save it, PC gaming was surely helped the most by far by Valve's revolutionary model. I can see the gripe with Steamworks being so closely integrated with the Steam digital distribution platform (in effect, it is one in the same), but that can be fixed easily. I am reminded when I bought Metro 2033 via Direct2Drive and it installed into Steam. Does this hurt D2D's business? The customer doesn't see Steam until after the purchase is made, so D2D gets their money, but it IS admittedly giving Valve free exposure and advertising for future purchases, going so far as giving them the storefront and platform on which to run the game in the process. So yeah, I can see it hurting other DD sites down the road.
Aside from that, I don't really care much about how butthurt the other guys are getting over the fact that Steam is eating their lunch (and supper too). I would tend to think that one of the "big name publishers" that goes unnamed in the story is not Stardock simply because Brad Wardell has generally always attached his name to press releases of this nature in the past. My guess is Gamersgate and D2D; maybe even GFWL. (I would love to know if that last were the case - Microsoft complaining that Valve is killing PC gaming - oh the delicious irony!!)
As far as retailers go, I hope that they get out of the PC market entirely, since they treated PC gamers like shit for a decade. I almost never buy retail anymore anyway, and I wouldn't shed a tear to see all PC gaming go download only. Screw retail - they made their bed - now they can lie in it (and atrophy for all I care).
This comment was edited on Nov 11, 2010, 20:18.
"Cry me a fuckin' river."
Everyone - EVERYONE - was calling the PC dead before Steam came along. Once Valve whipped Steam up into shape, I can confidently say that if it didn't single-handedly save it, PC gaming was surely helped the most by far by Valve's revolutionary model. I can see the gripe with Steamworks being so closely integrated with the Steam digital distribution platform (in effect, it is one in the same), but that can be fixed easily. I am reminded when I bought Metro 2033 via Direct2Drive and it installed into Steam. Does this hurt D2D's business? The customer doesn't see Steam until after the purchase is made, so D2D gets their money, but it IS admittedly giving Valve free exposure and advertising for future purchases, going so far as giving them the storefront and platform on which to run the game in the process. So yeah, I can see it hurting other DD sites down the road.
Aside from that, I don't really care much about how butthurt the other guys are getting over the fact that Steam is eating their lunch (and supper too). I would tend to think that one of the "big name publishers" that goes unnamed in the story is not Stardock simply because Brad Wardell has generally always attached his name to press releases of this nature in the past. My guess is Gamersgate and D2D; maybe even GFWL. (I would love to know if that last were the case - Microsoft complaining that Valve is killing PC gaming - oh the delicious irony!!)
As far as retailers go, I hope that they get out of the PC market entirely, since they treated PC gamers like shit for a decade. I almost never buy retail anymore anyway, and I wouldn't shed a tear to see all PC gaming go download only. Screw retail - they made their bed - now they can lie in it (and atrophy for all I care).
This comment was edited on Nov 11, 2010, 20:18.
"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far."
"Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality."
"Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality."
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