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."
cliffski wrote on Nov 12, 2010, 04:07:pihx wrote on Nov 11, 2010, 11:17:
I only use Steam and i am proud of it.
what if steam don't stock a game? you just decide they have final say over what you are 'allowed' to buy?
Not all pc games are on steam. And if you want one group of people to decide what games are financially viable on the PC, then that's a pretty scary slippery slope.
It's kind of like people who do all of their shopping at Walmart.
Generally, if a game is available in multiple places, including Steam, I get it on Steam. The only exceptions are any game that's also on GOG, where I always opt for the GOG DRM-Free version, or if I find a lower price on another Digital Download service like Impulse or D2D.
For exclusives like Sins of a Solar Empire and Demigod, obviously I buy them from Stardock. But Steam basically rules the roost for me. They won with a better catalog, better platform, better features, and better ease of use. It's not gamers' fault that no one could compete well enough.
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