Notch on Steam "I worry about the PC as a gaming platform becoming owned by a single entity that tak
303 replies, posted
[quote]
After the spectacular success of the Steam Summer Sale, I wondered again why Minecraft still isn’t on there. Looking back at developer Markus Persson’s blog post on the subject a year ago, it seemed like the things they couldn’t previously do on Steam are now possible. So I asked him: that?
It’s a candid and interesting reply, full of intriguing hints, so I’ll quote it in full to avoid taking anything out of context:
[quote]
Yeah, it seems like pretty much all the things we wanted to do are possible on Steam now, which is brilliant! Since I made that blog post, Minecraft has kept growing very fast (and it selling faster than ever), which combined with us not being on Steam leads to some potentially interesting strategic positions. I’m not quite sure what those are, but we’re a bit wary to submit Minecraft to Steam without knowing more about what we want to do. As much as I love Steam, I do somewhat worry about the PC as a gaming platform becoming owned by a single entity that takes 30% of all PC games sold. I’m hoping for a future where more games can self-publish and use social media and friends to market their games. Perhaps there’s something we could do to help out there? I don’t know. If nothing else, we might work as an inspiration for people to self-publish.
It’s probably obvious from this reply, but we’re trying to figure out what we want to do long term with the position we have now. We only recently decided to stay as independent as possible and cancelled an unannounced project that we were doing in collaboration with someone else. It’s going to be an interesting future.
[/quote]
That project is probably the one codenamed Rex Kwon Do, which we know nothing about – Notch tweeted recently to say they’d cancelled it to focus on projects they wholly own.
He’s not kidding about Minecraft still selling fast. In the last 24 hours, Minecraft sold another 11,660 copies at $27.95, a daily revenue of $314,237. In other words, it’s still taking almost a million dollars every three days.
From a gamer’s perspective, does Steam’s dominance worry you at all? Could Mojang help, and how?
[/quote]
[URL]http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/07/25/notch-on-why-minecraft-still-isnt-on-steam/[/URL]
He's got a point, I mean, how are devs supposed to take vacations if 30% is taken off from them? srsly valve
Notch can kiss my ass.
[QUOTE=gnisasas;36943768][URL]http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/07/25/notch-on-why-minecraft-still-isnt-on-steam/[/URL]
He's got a point, I mean, how are devs supposed to take vacations if 30% is taken off from them? srsly valve[/QUOTE]
Do you expect the bandwidth and space on servers is free?
Steam's an excellent, EXCELLENT platform for the consumer. And I've rarely heard complaints about steam from developers, other than Notch.
[QUOTE=jordguitar;36943791]Do you expect the bandwidth and space on servers is free?[/QUOTE]
You probably missed my joke
[QUOTE=Ganerumo;36943786]Notch can kiss my ass.[/QUOTE]
Notch has a good point, but I think he should be more worried about Windows 8 than Steam.
But you're right, he's still an asshole.
[QUOTE=.Isak.;36943795]Steam's an excellent, EXCELLENT platform for the consumer. And I've rarely heard complaints about steam from developers, other than Notch.[/QUOTE]
EA doesn't like Steam either :v:
Unless I am mistaken the statement of 30% just follows speculation by others. The actual amount probably varies and is unknown due to NDA's. However regardless it is still a fair amount when you look at the same cuts out of physical sales ect. Either way I for one welcome our continuing valve overlords.
Notch fuck off, as well as his blind 12 year old followers.
Wow 30%? For a game they didnt even develop.
[editline]26th July 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=HighOnSinz;36943813]Unless I am mistaken the statement of 30% just follows speculation by others. The actual amount probably varies and is unknown due to NDA's. However regardless it is still a fair amount when you look at the same cuts out of physical sales ect. Either way I for one welcome are continuing valve overlords.[/QUOTE]
Ok.
I won't seriously worry about it because there [I]is[/I] competition and Valve is constantly stomping it in every way.
Obviously if they were charging full price three years after a game's release it's kind of bullshit, but they're not. See: Summer Sale.
[QUOTE=taipan;36943816]Wow 30%? For a game they didnt even develop.
[editline]26th July 2012[/editline]
Ok.[/QUOTE]
It's not like Valve's paying bandwidth to everyone downloading it and if it has multiplayer, hosting the servers or anything
The thing is, a game on steam often gets alot of publicity due to its nature, so 30% (Whether or not that amount is true) seems like a fair amount.
[QUOTE=spazthemax;36943841]It's not like Valve's paying bandwidth to everyone downloading it and if it has multiplayer, [B]hosting the servers or anything[/B][/QUOTE]
That depends on what game you're talking about
While you can say that it would be easier and all that, I agree. No matter how nice the company is, you shouldn't let them have a monopoly. While EA is doing it the completely wrong way, we should not wish for a completely valve-dominated distribution market.
How about instead of complaining of a steam dominated market someone actually makes a service that can compete with steam?
[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;36943849]While you can say that it would be easier and all that, I agree. No matter how nice the company is, you shouldn't let them have a monopoly. While EA is doing it the completely wrong way, we should not wish for a completely valve-dominated distribution market.[/QUOTE]
Valve don't have a monopoly. There's plenty of other PC game sellers out there, Desura, Direct2Drive, GamersGate, GFW Marketplace, GOG.Com, Green Man Gaming, Impulse, OnLive, Origin and many more.
Yes, Steam have the largest market share, but it is in no way a monopoly.
Thing is, Valve is a big company nowadays; the duty of massive distribution is a pretty large one for them to handle. They've done plenty of good, but some would say they're kind of a mad scientist, and fear they're gonna one day create a monster.
Personally i'm not too down with that; sure things have a chance to slip up, everything does, but i'm still confident in Valve's abilities. Then again having all one's eggs in a single basket is a risky venture, and it would probably help to have some of your games on other services in case of some calamitous screw-up. Better safe than sorry, even when concerning one of the most trusted distributors on the net.
The thing with Steam servers being too busy to handle your request is also a downside about Steam; sometimes you click the Play button and it says the servers are too busy to handle your request, which is mad because the game is on my machine.
Nonetheless it seems good for developers; 30% doesn't seem all that huge, especially when there are big sales going on.
But as far as that, I still have faith in Valve; they've done good things and don't seem to be doing anything that could pose a real threat.
Meanwhile at Valve HQ:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON-7v4qnHP8[/media]
Whats really the big deal about having it on steam?
Steam achievements? Seriously? Just that?
Overlay? Already possible
Steam updates? Pretty much the same already, on launch, no point.
Oh but you want to /buy it on steam and have it on your account you say/.
Just deal with it. This is as good as it will ever get with Notch.
However I do agree that Notch'es comments hinting at Steam being a greedy fat cat are stupid.
[QUOTE=Rofl my Waff;36943885]How about instead of complaining of a steam dominated market someone actually makes a service that can compete with steam?[/QUOTE]
The problem with that concept is that Steam's basically sitting on the throne with so many devs, big-time to small-time and even indie, having their products on there. Steam's not perfect but compared to EA, who basically only do their own games, a handful of others and a bunch of browser shit no one cares for, the large game repritore makes it near-impossible to rival Valve's service.
This is from the guy that wants to charge monthly fees on his space game because "all F2P games are pay to win"
So we can take pretty much everything he says with a grain of salt.
[QUOTE=Coffee;36943903]Valve don't have a monopoly. There's plenty of other PC game sellers out there, Desura, Direct2Drive, GamersGate, GFW Marketplace, GOG.Com, Green Man Gaming, Impulse, OnLive, Origin and many more.
Yes, Steam have the largest market share, but it is in no way a monopoly.[/QUOTE]
I didn't say they had a monopoly right now, but it's pretty close. Of online distribution systems, I'd say they're almost as big as Windows in marketshare.
I think what he means (and what I've read in other articles) is that the fear is of steam BECOMING a monopoly, that some time in the future when valve has well and truly curb stomped any and all competition they start taking some greedy and restrictive liberties with their place in the top. Now I'm not saying this will be, I don't even think it likely as long as the internet is a free and open thing so that people can always self-publish like notch did.
Now that Valve allow (or are in the process of allowing) publishers update without checking for themselves, maybe we are seeing a shift for the better.
The 30% could include a handling fee, which could lower now.
[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;36943976]I didn't say they had a monopoly right now, but it's pretty close. Of online distribution systems, I'd say they're almost as big as Windows in marketshare.[/QUOTE]
Well when you offer a superior product coupled with a very successful business model you tend to rise to the top. Not to mention Valve has probably the best relationship possible with it's customers outside of local business.
[QUOTE=usa;36943933]Whats really the big deal about having it on steam?
Steam achievements? Seriously? Just that?
Overlay? Already possible
Steam updates? Pretty much the same already, on launch, no point.
Oh but you want to /buy it on steam and have it on your account you say/.
Just deal with it. This is as good as it will ever get with Notch.
However I do agree that Notch'es comments hinting at Steam being a greedy fat cat are stupid.[/QUOTE]
Steam is extremely convenient because I don't have to use multiple platforms and so many accounts and passwords for all my games. All my games are easy to access and in my steam library from anywhere in the world.
[QUOTE=UncleJimmema;36944017]Well when you offer a superior product coupled with a very successful business model you tend to rise to the top. Not to mention Valve has probably the best relationship possible with it's customers outside of local business.[/QUOTE]
Don't think that I'm against Valve, and I personally think that I stated quite clearly that I think EA's approach has been pretty shit, and don't get me started on GFWL. But Steam is some distance away from perfect, and if somebody could actually give them real competetion, we might end up with an even better platform. Just saying that no market, no matter the company, should be a monopoly.
all notch really is is a dude with a decent idea at the right place at the right time
he's kind of a dick and his own development on his own game has been schizophrenic since 1.7 and he has the ego approximately the size of his home country
[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;36944109]Don't think that I'm against Valve, and I personally think that I stated quite clearly that I think EA's approach has been pretty shit, and don't get me started on GFWL. But Steam is some distance away from perfect, and if somebody could actually give them real competetion, we might end up with an even better platform. Just saying that no market, no matter the company, should be a monopoly.[/QUOTE]
I agree. I'm just contending that while it seems like a monopoly due to it's predominance, it still has enough competition from other companies. It's like Apple in the early days of the ipod and iphone (not saying valves anything like apple). When the ipod appeared they essentially had the top of the market, same when the iphone appeared. Over time however the other companies were able to catch up, and now android based phones hold a higher percentage of the market. I think the issue now is the other companies need to play catch up before we can see any real competition.
I think that the only way other online sales can compete with steam is by filling a unique niche. A good example of this is GOG.
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