Valve doesn't care about Steamworks boycotts

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 26th November 2009
Comments (34) Stumble
Valve doesn't care about Steamworks boycotts

Valve has declared that it doesn't care about other distributors boycotting Steam games, like MW2.

Valve has shrugged off the recently announced boycotts that other digital distributors have placed on games using Valve's Steamworks combined community and DRM solution, claiming that it's the boycotters who are missing out.

The Steamworks boycott itself was announced a few weeks ago by digital distribution networks Direct2Drive, Impulse and GamersGate. The complaints stem from the fact that Steamworks games such as Left 4 Dead 2 and Modern Warfare 2 require a Steam installation and log-in even if they are not purchased from Steam.

While Direct2Drive and Co. have labelled Steamworks a trojan horse though, Valve has said that it's the boycotters that missing out and pointed out that Steamworks was designed based on consumer and developer feedback and has been incredibly popular.

"To our minds, we think that if you're making a good game and it's got the services a customer wants it should get out in as many channels as possible. If you have a good portal and you're good at collecting money from folks, and attracting them, there's no reason why you shouldn't be," Valve's Jason Holtman told GI.biz.

"We try to make those services that developers and our customers want. Whether another distributor wants to carry them or not, we don't have any say in the matter, that's between Activision and other online distributors," he continued.

"The interesting thing is those games that have Steamworks features in them are really made to be the things customers want. Developers are choosing the features that make the game better. There's no service where there are features you have to have, developers are choosing between those."

Holtman said that while there were plenty of Steamworks games that came out last year there's set to be even more in 2010. It probably helps that Steamworks is free for developers to take advantage of and lets them tie into the largest digital distribution network online.

Of course, the fact that other distributors are choosing not to sell titles like Modern Warfare 2 is undoubtedly working in Valve's favour too and while Valve rarely release Steam sales data, Holtman said Modern Warfare 2 had sold well on Steam. Very well.

"I'm trying to think of a way to put this so you can grasp onto something about the size of it... Steam sales actually scale with the game. So if a game sells better on all channels and it's a blockbuster, it's going to move an awful lot of units on Steam," he revealed.

"As third-party triple-A titles go, it's by and large one of our greatest sellers right now. It's doing very, very well. If you look at the player numbers, you can see there's a lot of people enjoying it - not just playing it - that are constantly enjoying it now. Hats off to Infinity Ward, because they made something that people really want to play," he concluded.

Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
Quote Unknownsock 26th November 2009, 17:15
Steam need some competition, to keep there prices down and to keep them at bay of becoming to big for their own boots..
But ofc only time will tell.
Quote D-Cyph3r 26th November 2009, 17:23
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unknownsock
Steam need some competition, to keep there prices down

*cough*1 day offers*cough*
Quote Hypno 26th November 2009, 17:52
Tbh even if the other companies caught up with Steam I would still use it.
Quote Centy-face 26th November 2009, 17:55
Valve has no real say in the prices of anything bar their own games the publisher or developer picks the selling price.

The one day offers on right now are just yet another example of why steam is so popular. Frankly anyone who says steam is underhanded or whatever is just spouting sour grapes that people want, yes want we are not forced, to use steam. I love most everything about the service and happily buy games from steam. I don't even look at D2D or Impulse at all.

Steamworks is helping bring PC gaming to a fuller platform with better integration bringing a more unified free platform and I for one am happy to support it.
Quote liratheal 26th November 2009, 18:01
At first, yes. I would have agreed wholeheartedly that Steam was a pain in the ass and blah blah blah.

However, now having lived with it installed (Thanks to it being required for some of my hardcopy games, and having bought some of the HL2 stuff for use of the Hammer Editor), I honestly don't see what the big deal is anymore.

It usually stays sat in the system tray being quiet, only cropping up when it wants an update, or a game wants an update. Frankly, while I won't be replacing hardcopies with it, I don't care that it's required. It's not like it's a system drain, nor does it get in the way. Same goes for GFWL. Never had an issue with that, either. Never bought anything off it, but redeemed multiple "free" bonus things for DoWII.
Quote crompers 26th November 2009, 18:33
the sooner most of the industry uses steam, the better. lets face no one else has exactly succeeded with the digital distribution channel on PC (when you take into account social options that steam offers) on the same level.

i agree with Gabe, should they suffer because no-one else has managed to do it as well? i dont think so. also with the networking options that Xbox live gives you without Steam there would be no rival service on PC, which would be a big step down for us imo.

long live steam and valve because tbh if either of them go out of business pc gaming is dead in the water
Quote Shadowed_fury 26th November 2009, 18:50
<3 steam.
Quote Star*Dagger 26th November 2009, 19:00
In the beginning there was the Word, and the Word was with Gabe, and the Word was Steam!
Quote mrbens 26th November 2009, 19:13
I think Steam is great. I used to always pirate all my games (one cos i don't have much money and second because i hate having to find a dvd and have it in the drive to play a game that is fully installed on to my hard drive anyway,) but now i regularly take advantage of the weekend deals.

The only problem I have with steam is quite a lot of the games are cheaper to buy from places such as play.com but then I'd be back to the old problem of needing to have the dvd to hand or using a nodvd crack anyway so i don't buy those ones.
Quote mrbens 26th November 2009, 19:35
Also, second problem with Steam is not being able to chose which hard drive to install each game you buy on. I have Steam installed on my SSD but like to install most of my games on to an F3 as they load fast enough off that and the SSD is only 128GB.
Quote digitaldave 26th November 2009, 19:42
i love steam too but since moving to mac im now confined to urban terror (which is actually great fun and free!)

bring steam to mac and see me booted for cheatz hackz and all that even though im jus leet, innit ;)
Quote dicobalt 26th November 2009, 19:43
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrbens
Also, second problem with Steam is not being able to chose which hard drive to install each game you buy on. I have Steam installed on my SSD but like to install most of my games on to an F3 as they load fast enough off that and the SSD is only 128GB.

Install the game then move it to where you want and use this command to make a directory link:

mklink /D X:\destination_directory C:\source_directory
Quote Neat69 26th November 2009, 19:50
Quote:
Originally Posted by Centy-face
Valve has no real say in the prices of anything bar their own games the publisher or developer picks the selling price.

How come publishers/developers are allowed to do this on digital distribution? if they tried that at realail you'd be hearing OFT investigation quicker than you could say price fixing.

Maybe the EU need to have a look at this, I notice the say thing is done with MP3's etc.
Quote dyzophoria 26th November 2009, 20:00
honestly i dont see any problem with steam either, its just sitting quitely in my system tray,lol
Quote heavyglow 26th November 2009, 20:21
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neat69
Quote:
Originally Posted by Centy-face
Valve has no real say in the prices of anything bar their own games the publisher or developer picks the selling price.

How come publishers/developers are allowed to do this on digital distribution? if they tried that at realail you'd be hearing OFT investigation quicker than you could say price fixing.

Maybe the EU need to have a look at this, I notice the say thing is done with MP3's etc.

what are you talking about, of course publishers pick the price for retail
Quote Neat69 26th November 2009, 20:26
Publishers Set a R.R.P., the retailer can chose any price he wishes.
Quote Farting Bob 26th November 2009, 20:38
Quote:
Originally Posted by heavyglow
what are you talking about, of course publishers pick the price for retail
Yea the retailers buy the game at X price and are given a suggested price, but are free to sell it at any price they want. Could sell CODMW2 for £5, but they'd lose money on every sale. Could also sell it at £100 but they will be lucky to shift more than 1 copy a day.
Quote Matticus 26th November 2009, 21:12
Meh, if there systems were worth using they would be used. People these days just seem to piss and moan about everything that doesn't go their way, if they put half as much effort into developing their platform as they did whining about steam then maybe they would be a viable choice for gamers.

Also of course valve are going to use their own distribution system on l4d2, it would be ridiculous not to.
Quote Initialised 26th November 2009, 22:06
Steam needs HD Movies to own at 50-75% Blu-Ray or rent like PSN to penetrate the PC market beyond gaming before reeling them in with cloud based gaming services. Also it's DRM model has worked (how many pirates can play L4D2 online) and is largely accepted by the PC gaming community so it makes sense for developers to consider Steam as a requirement.
Quote Bad Horse TBoS 26th November 2009, 22:09
Steam is great...unless you are deployed to Afghanistan and have a 2k internet connection that routinely go's out for weeks at a time.
Between Steam required installs and authentication server required LAN games the industry is really taking away one of the few enjoyable activities we have over here.
Here is a link about my epic struggle to play Empire: Total War

http://www.halfassdprojects.com/?p=242&page=2
Quote V3ctor 26th November 2009, 23:38
Looove Steam... Waiting on the Christmas games sales :D all cheap, i bought Bioshock for 5€ last year and Stalker too for another 5€... Keep them coming Steam :D
Quote Neogumbercules 26th November 2009, 23:49
I love steam and think it's great. That said, I can't blame other digital distributors for not selling games that install and require the software of their competition. I also don't appreciate $60 price tags on a digitally distributed game.
Quote Orothe 27th November 2009, 05:34
Quote:
Originally Posted by D-Cyph3r
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unknownsock
Steam need some competition, to keep there prices down

*cough*1 day offers*cough*

+1

=) Apparently the one-day offers and the weekend specials are driving customers away by their insane prices? >.>
Quote Mighty Yoshimi 27th November 2009, 08:57
Steam i love but it has a nasty habit of restarting paused downloads at times for no apparent reason? maybe mines goosed
Quote shanky887614 27th November 2009, 09:03
i dont like the fact that you have to do a steam installlation becasue i dont play online often (becasue i can't bt limit your internet to 100gb a month on there unlimited package)

and i dont want steam on my pc i allready have too many programs on there that i need
Quote Psytek 27th November 2009, 10:08
I've said time and time again, valve and steam need to be split into independent companies. If they won't do it of their own volition, they'll be forced to by anti-competitive lawsuits once they become high profile enough over the next 10 years.
Quote RichCreedy 27th November 2009, 11:42
shanky, i use bt and play online, with no problems, if your using 100GB a month you must be downloading large amounts of data, not playing games (torrentor by any chance)

steam works very well, keeps things updated, and makes things work, that maybe otherwise wouldn't, oh and can you imagine installing all those games back on your system from discs, when you get a new computer? few clicks on steam and a few hours later all your games back
Quote leexgx 27th November 2009, 12:45
MW2 game it self is good but playing hardcore mode can be hard on Xbox PC P2P setup they have got even my friend who only plays Hardcore mode on COD4, finds quite hard due to the lag as its an 50/50 chance that your shots get the kill lag first before the other gets you (unless its the host then he likely win as he has no ping Gears of war has this issue a lot most Xbox owners know of this), you shot and there is up to an 1 sec delay before the hits happen (dieing behind walls)

other problem is as well every one just camps on hardcore mode as well if not most of the time (on cod4 i can norm see things from quite far away but on MW2 some times just do not see them when they are not moving)

due to the above and the player limits we norm play ground wars as that mode is not hardcore and has the most players, most of us are waiting for dedicated servers to come then the game can be played the way it should be in hardcore mode
Quote dire_wolf 27th November 2009, 13:22
Steam is expensive but it's well worth the extra for having all your games on tap andfor having them updated/patched automatically. You have to buy at the right time if/when something is on weekend special I suppose. The only time I pay full whack on there is when something really shiney comes out lik MW2, or when an indy game comes out that I've been watching for some time.
Quote DarkLord7854 27th November 2009, 14:29
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unknownsock
Steam need some competition, to keep there prices down and to keep them at bay of becoming to big for their own boots..


Developers set prices, not Valve.

Funny how you use "their" correctly in one place but not the other :p
Quote mrbens 28th November 2009, 03:25
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkLord7854
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unknownsock
Steam need some competition, to keep there prices down and to keep them at bay of becoming to big for their own boots..
Funny how you use "their" correctly in one place but not the other :p
yes, we'll just have to come to terms with the fact that nobody these days knows their there from they're elbow.

BTW for the next 12 hours: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic = £1.74
Quote DarkLord7854 28th November 2009, 03:29
I'm very tempted by that.. trying to justify it when I have the boxed set sitting next to me.. it is only 2.50 after all... dohhh
Quote Mighty Yoshimi 29th November 2009, 08:31
my only real concern is what protection does the user get against steam going bust?
Quote DarkLord7854 29th November 2009, 08:34
Considering Valve have been in business since 1996 and have only expanded and gotten bigger and bigger, and now cash in on all games sold on Steam.. I find that extremely unlikely to happen.
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