Steam: A monopoly in the making?

Is a steamID as required as a copy of windows for gaming in the future?

By coreimpulse on June 14, 2010 11:41:03 PM from

(Im posting this in the forums since I can't post it like an article in the blog section.)

I remember the old days of gaming. That long gone era called 2008. Back when games were provided with their own custom installers, and were self-contained products that installed themselves separatedly on the computer you instaleld them. I like to call this era the "Installshield Era" of gaming. Back when game media only contained asset and binaries, and a registration window, when dialog box wizards ruled the gaming land, and when there weren't any remote validation hooks attached to executables. That is why, with increasing concern, I am watching nowadays the way our most amazing form of entertainment is rearranging itself, how market forces and anti-consumer tendencies are beggining to shape the new landscape of gaming, at the expense of the average gamer.

Big game releases nowadays are abandoning these old, anticuated components such as autorun main menus, install wizards, or dedicated servers, and have moved to the all encapsulating remote delivery methods of popular DRM schemes, such as Steam. By itself, Steam is convenient, fast if you have good internet connection, and easy to deploy. Many games were released in normal "retail" form, and were offered in Steam's store shortly after. Those instances however, are nowadays mostly the case with PC only releases from eastern european studios it seems. Steam's "next step" in gaming convenience is anything but that, and could mark the beggining of a new mandatory requirement for gaming in the future. More and more games are now announcing their complete deployment based around Valve's new Steamworks framework, touted as the "least intrusive" DRM scheme, "convenient" to gaemers and publishers alike, which takes care of formerly manual tasks like patching. They claim it isn't intrusive when compared to the likes of Securom or Tages. But I would like to point out that it is more than that. It's not only indeed intrusive, it's THE most intrusive DRM scheme to come along yet. The game is not at all installed or even located completely in your computer when you realize it. At least Securom installed itself after it let the installer copy YOUR game to YOUR hard drive. Steamworks' remote always-on cloud network remotely controls one of ITS game's installation, patching, running. When you start the game, you send a signal to the autenticathion servers situatied remotely from your location, and the order is sent back before you are able to game. You are asked for an authorization each time to play the games you paid a hefty premium to be allowed some few hours of playimte. It's the arcade coin-up model. We've gone back full circle, to the arcade machins of old times. It may as well place a coin slot in your computer. It's like trying the games you paid for thru a remote terminal. A service that, much like an arcade place, can close up in after hours, or at the discretion of their owners. The access to the games you are allowed to try remotely can be switched off at any moment without any explanation from the providers, and you are effectively out. Cloud based gaming, and software as a service don't look like a good idea afterall under these terms.

"Blah blah, who cares, I don't have to deal with DVDs anymore!" Maybe this is really making mountains out of molehills. Steam does have it's merits, which mostly come from giving smaller indie developers a storefront to showcase their creations without needing a traditional expensive distribution contract. Companies like Tripwire and 2d boy have been the most vocal about their praise for steam, with Tripwire saying they wouldn't be around without Steam. This piece is not an anti-steam call to arms, it's just an informational soundbyte, just to express concern about the trend Steamworks is creating, which isn't 100% in reality as advertised in the package. A steamworks game instantly becomes a steam exclusive game. That situation could become the beggining of a monopoly. Maybe this is a good time for competitors to shine.

+1 Karma | 472 Replies

Competition isnt happening already. The only way a big behemoth like Valve with steam can get competition is from another behemoth, like Apple. There´s several steamworks games on their mac store by now. Apple prohibits any 3rd party components in their apps, and such steamworks is ripped out on those games. Microsoft probably will do something similar with their own windows store. People here continue to refer to Steamworks like it´s the only gamer data platform, when there´s stuff like openfeint, game center and such. Those services work like Steamworks.

Quoting coreimpulse,

reply 451

I'd use them when they offer cool things like Steamworks do and most possibly if it can be integrated with Steamworks so I can see my achievements, friendslist and such.

I've never heard about those services

Seems that after so much wrangling with steam over son's account steam finally made good after all by reactivating son's banned account for 5 days on the condition he re-purchase the game in question within 5 days or have account relocked. Son bought the game for $10 and all's well.

And here he'd totally written off the account. Guess someone at steam got something nice for Christmas and decided to pass along the favor.

5 million concurrent users at Steam

I hope Valve will soon share some updated stats about Steam.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1431974&page=34

Quoting coreimpulse,

reply 451

People here continue to refer to Steamworks like it´s the only gamer data platform, when there´s stuff like openfeint, game center and such. Those services work like Steamworks.

I look forward to your game that uses them.

Steam isn't necessary for a game to be successful, but it helps.

That said, I think FE on Steam will outsell WOM if the game reaches its potential. (note: the free copies being given out won't count)

That said, question. I know and accept SD keys aren't Steam-transferrable. What would it cost Stardock to make a key for Valve. Why not allow folks who have bought GalCiv II/Sins/FE to purchase keys from Stardock to work on Steam? I have no real interest in it myself, but I believe there would be some interest. Is it a concern that people would abuse the system to get a cheap copy to gift someone else, and is that preventable?

I don't think that issue is a big deal, as if someone already wants to "give" a SD game away, they will. I do think a reasonable limitation would be one Steam key per Stardock account, and make it non-giftable if you can do that through Steam.

Would $10 be a reasonable price? For those who are Steam fans on this forum, if you got FE for free, what would you be willing to pay to get an FE key for Steam? I do believe some folks would pay, just to have all their games in one place- which is rather convenient. While it's not the reason I stopped using Impulse, it is more convenient to have all your games on 1-2 sites (I use Gamersgate and Steam equally these days.)

Quoting Martok,

reply 433

Quoting Rebell44, reply 432

Most PC gamers dont have a problem with Steam.

You have an interesting definition of "most".

Since Steam is by far the largest DD market for PC games and according to some reports has an absolute majority (ie: > 50%) of all DD sales, it seems like his definition of "most" is consistent with the dictionary one. It's GFWL that is widely hated. Steam hate is confined to a much smaller group, because Steam does an infinitely better job at adding value without being in the way then GFWL does.

I agree to that, I have never had a problem with Steam, but god I hated GFWL with Fallout 3. What a pain in the ass.

Quoting Frogboy,

reply 444

For example, we have Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion in development. We (Stardock and Ironclad) want the multiplayer to be compelling (lots of stats, match making, leaderboards, achievements, in game chat, voice over IP) basic stuff these days. If we choose Steamworks, you'll see a riot. But what would those users demand we use instead?

I see a lot of angst but I don't see a lot of viable solutions.

I'm not sure how big a riot it'd be. From the Sins forums I see that a lot of new people have come in lately, and most of those are probably Steam users who just saw the game on sale and picked it up. They obviously won't mind. Some of the other people might, but if it gets them features they wouldn't get otherwise?

I like having the stuff that you're talking about. If Steamworks is the best way to provide it? I for one won't be complaining.

The big problem is, that we forum users are uber-geeks that only think they represent most other PC gamers. I'm sure most people wouldn't mind at all and would enjoy the features that Steam has. Although i wouldn't know, hate multi-player games...can't wait till I get home and play SWTOR.

I have Sins game from Impulse.

I want it transfered to Steam.

Stardock, can you allow that, and please have Enchantress on Steam too.

Also, add steam packs to the initial release. I know I'll buy double for my wife and me, maybe 4 packs for friends.

But please integrate to steam more.

Also, all of my steam games play offline. Multiplayer in lan, Hamachi or direct IP also works with steam offlined.

Some new info about Steam in 2011.

- 1800 games now on Steam.

- 40 million accounts registered.

- Year-on-year sales increased by over 100%, for the seventh year running.

- Simultaneous users topped 5 million during December.

- Served over 780 petabytes of data; twice that of 2010.

- Over 14.5m Steamworks games were registered, 67% up from 2010.

- Steamworks is now in over 400 games. See above.

- Over 19m in-game items were traded.

Love it or hate it, the value of having your game show up on the Steam front page can't be ignored. Many games that would never have broken into the public's awareness manage enough sales to at least say the project was worth it, thanks entirely to the Steam bump and reasonable pricing. For an indie game developer who needs exposure to pay their bills, it's really hard not to gravitate toward Steam. And for games that have already captured the public's imagination, like Terraria, Steam as a vendor can be the golden ticket.

While a lot of people object to Steam just on the basis of their monopoly and Steamworks integration, there are far worse digital dictators we could be gaming under. Imagine if EA, Ubisoft, GFWL or Activision was at the head of 50% of the DD market. They'd squeeze our nuts until they popped.

And lastly, but certainly not least....Steam understands the concept of value-added. They understand it without all the window-dressing that has made Uplay, GFWL, Origin and other services damn near un-useable, or at the very least, highly unappealing. And they understand that discounts sell more games in the long run than holding to the $59.99 price point until a week before the sequel drops. I'm not sure ANY of that would happen if Steam weren't serving as an intermediary between publishers and consumers.

I in my uninformed days thought Steam was bad for indie developers. Now that I know better I think it's one of the best things going for the indies. Take the recent Winter sales. I picked up 4 indie games around $2-$3 each as they were 75% off. Two of them I had my eye on before and the other two I never heard of. Both of those had demo's and I had a blast playing the demos and immediately purchased. One of them will have a DLC coming this Spring which I will buy at full price. If not for the Steam super sale I wouldn't have ever spent a dime on those developers.

FYI: If you like "old school" single player shooters playstyle...Hard Reset. Nuff said. Especially for $3 bucks.

Hello? $1=€1 doesnt ring a bell? Steam screws people in europe with it, and they simply ignore them. There´s a big thread at the steam boards regarding it, and it continues to get bigger. You know, I would understand the uninformed people happy about the convenience of surrendering to Valve's download manager with everything game related, turning games into a service that you rely on, like utilities. But it´s other people in the industry, including Brad, thinking that they have to somehow praise Valve and steam, or they´ll think theyll lose cool points. Anyone read that interview the Gamersgate guy did last month? He didnt praise steam, and he gets called a hater. He says, that steam is too hardcore, relies too much on a bulky download client, and doesnt cater to the majority of PC gamers, those casual flash-playing people, and that steam´s marketshare could only go down. Here's the interview:

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/63355/GamersGate-CEO-Steam-Too-Hardcore-Will-Lose-Market-Share

Steam isnt that big, even in the overall PC gaming market. They dont have those Zynga fans.

You mean the uninformed, like people that still don't get regional pricing and choose to lay the blame at Steam's door step? When they've said, about a dozen times, that it's not up to them? They can't force anyone to put a price on their games, the publisher dictates the sale price and publishers are the ones that rake people over the exchange rates. And yet, people still say its Steam being evil.

Steam isnt that big, even in the overall PC gaming market. They dont have those Zynga fans.

Yes, because people playing a free game on Facebook is exactly the same thing as a digital distribution market.

But it´s other people in the industry, including Brad, thinking that they have to somehow praise Valve and steam, or they´ll think theyll lose cool points.

Because there's zero chance that's what they actually believe, right?

And personally, someone that heads a digital distribution platform that calls Steam "too hardcore" got off easy by getting called a hater. I'd have called them a number of other things. Because I'm sure Gamersgate isn't #1 because of "too cool for school Steam", and not because GG's CEO says stupid things like that. Or like:

Theo Berquist: Just look at Origin. It came from nowhere and is now a player in the industry. Steam is doing a good job for the super hard-core audience, but everyone knows that's not where the money is. The market is mostly made up of people who buy 2-3 games a year and want a fast, easy and seamless way of buying games. They don’t want a bulky client.

I like how he praises Origin for "being a player in the industry", when it's parent company has more money than God and has bent over backwards trying to get people to use it, and the whole service basically exists to support one critical title right now. He criticizes Steam for being bulky in the same paragraph he chooses to mention Origin? The bulkiest and most useless DD client short of GFWL (which might even be more streamlined compared to Origin?) That's some quality opinioneering he's doing there.

Quoting coreimpulse,

reply 440

Wow, this thread is still going good. While I agree that Steam is not a monopoly yet, although it is the biggest DD provider, I dont think will continue to be the digital market owner in the coming years. I think Steam rivals have begun, in the ways of the new appstore that opened this recent years. Windows 8 will have its own appstore, won´t it? It´ll be somewhat similar to the mac appstore, which is increasing its game offerings.

If Win8 store is made by same bunch of idiots who created GFWL, it wont be competition for Steam.

It would be interesting to see integration with the Iphone or android. I think if when browsing silly apps for your android, imagine if you could see an advertisement for a game you like for PC , purchase it through your phone, add that to your phone bill, and when you get home it's already downloaded on your PC. I want that.

I got angry birds and fruit ninja and for a Graphics whore who loves RTS PC games, I gotta say these little app games are really great. Everyone is playing them on their lunchbreak at work, especially the teenagers. I will be happy if my kids become hooked on games and game servers rather than smoking,drugs,drug dealers.

STEAM FOR THE WIN! And hey, come to my Android I want it. There is an app for accessing steam community and seeing specials friends status, but I don't think that's actually STEAM just a phone friendly access app.

I doubt apple would let steam into their app domain. They've already got itunes, and they're getting 30% from that. Why let steam have a piece of the cake? Not to mention it would mean giving up quality control, which apple fiercely hangs on to (for good and bad).

Looks like one of Steam competitors (D2D) is trying to commit suicide - last year they were bought by GameFly, who migrated all D2D users/accounts etc. in January to GameFly client. Problem is that lots of games are mising and in some cases users are missing games which are CURRENTLY being sold via GameFly client (for example ME2).

As a bonus, no gaming media are reporting about these ongoing problems - either they are ignorant morons, or they are being bribed/blackmailed by GamneFly - and I dont like either of those options.

Blendo Games (creator of Atom Zombie Smasher) reveals sales data

Atom Zombie Smasher sales through December 2011

Steam: 96,000

BMT Micro (direct sales): 1,800

GamersGate:155

Direct2Drive: 87

Impulse: 85

Ubuntu Store: 48

Desura*: 24

*shorter sales period.

http://pc.ign.com/articles/122/1220163p1.html

Competition? What competition?

Heh, I bought Atom Zombie Smasher 7th July 2011 from Steam in the summersale

Haven't installed it yet though.

Steam domination. Simple as that.

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Steam: A monopoly in the making?

Is a steamID as required as a copy of windows for gaming in the future?