Valve: PC Gaming is the Future

Valve: Why the PC is the future on Eurogamer has more of Valve's Gabe Newell's thoughts on the state of PC gaming, once again discussing how digital distribution is rarely accounted for, and that as for MMOGs, he feels that WOW is "arguably the most valuable entertainment franchise in any media right now." Here's a bit:
Valve sees 200 per cent growth in these alternative channels - not just Steam, but including the likes of cyber-cafes as well - versus less than 10 per cent in bricks-and-mortar shop sales. Steam has a 15 million-strong player-base with 1.25 million peak concurrent users, and 191 per cent annual growth; none too far off a console platform in itself. The PC casual games market, driven by the likes of PopCap, has gone from next to nothing to USD 1.5 billion dollar industry in under ten years, and has doubled in size in just three. Perhaps most surprisingly, Valve has found that digital distribution doesn't cannibalise retail sales - in fact, a free Day of Defeat weekend on Steam created more new retail sales than online ones.

And then there is the game that many claim has been the death of PC gaming, but that Valve sees as its greatest success story, and its future. "Until recently, the fact that World of Warcraft was generating 120 million dollars in gross revenue on a monthly basis was completely off the books," Newell says. "Essentially, [Blizzard is] creating a new Iron Man every month, in terms of the gross revenue they're generating as a studio. Any movie studio would be shouting about that from the rooftops. But it was essentially invisible."
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No subject
Jun 27, 2008, 18:54
Okibi
 
9.
No subject Jun 27, 2008, 18:54
Jun 27, 2008, 18:54
 Okibi
 
It's nice that Valve is into PC gaming, but if the future is casual games and MMOs, it still indicates that PC gaming is in a very sorry state. It's not the sort of claim that counters the doom and gloom in a satisfying way for most of us. I want to play the triple A titles. I want to use a mouse and keyboard and mods.

Also, is Gabe Newell saying that WoW's success has been "invisible"? Everyone knows they make an unbelievable amount of money. I still don't see how it's a good thing for PC gaming in general, because everyone I know who plays it plays MMOs exclusively on the PC. If they play something else besides WoW, it's a new MMO of some sort. These days if you say "I'm a PC gamer" your response will probably be "Oh yeah, I play WoW too."

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