• Valve to let developers pay to get games on Steam
    35 replies, posted
[QUOTE=VenomousBeetle;51817705]Isn't there already a $100 paywall to get on greenlight in the first place[/QUOTE] A one time fee. With this, you'd pay a fee every time you put a game up. Make that fee at least 500 dollars, i'd say $800-$1,000 would probably be an acceptable sweet spot, and you're going to eliminate a lot of the trash.
Here's what's gonna happen when Valve raises the bar of entry: [quote][b]A small fee of $100 per game:[/b] Prevents: Troll submissions (not videogames of any sort) Most kids Permits: Crowdfunded games Babby's first videogame Self-sustained hobby projects, even from countries with low GDP (includes cheap cash-ins) 3rd party-published games (includes the likes of Digital Homicide) Impact: Not much changes from the current system. The fee becomes meaningless after your first game, even if it doesn't do too well. Steam gains thousands of games every year, some better than others, with many getting lost in the noise. Asset flipping runs rampant. [/quote] [quote] [b]A moderate fee of $500 per game (common suggestion):[/b] Prevents: Troll submissions (not videogames of any sort) Most kids Babby's first videogame Hobby projects from countries with very low GDP (includes cheap cash-ins) Permits: Crowdfunded games Hobby projects from most western countries (includes cheap cash-ins) 3rd party-published games (includes DH) Impact: Not huge still. A wrench is thrown into plans of hobbyists from less wealthy countries, but for most it's not an unsurmountable obstacle. Asset-flipping still rampant. [/quote] [quote][b]A steep fee of $1000+ per game:[/b] Prevents: Troll submissions (not videogames of any sort) Most kids Babby's first videogame Hobby projects from countries with low GDP (includes cheap cash-ins) Permits: Crowdfunded games Hobby projects from countries with high GDP (still includes cheap cash-ins, believe it or not) 3rd party published games (includes DH) Impact: Self-funded hobbyist projects still hit Steam every now and then, but projects from lesser countries are all but excluded, with their countries often not allowing crowdfunding platforms to operate and publishers being few and far between. They just revert back to mobile - it's still a gamble, but at least it's a way. Asset flip business is still thriving, however, due to the sheer profitability of the scheme. [/quote] [quote][b]A super fee of $5000 per game:[/b] Prevents: Troll submissions Kids Most hobby projects Permits: Crazy (and/or rich) hobbyists taking loans and gambling huge money with each release ([url=https://twitter.com/Steam_Spy/status/830194250935582720]includes cheap cash-ins made by wealthy "devs" from the greenlight era[/url]) Crowdfunded games 3rd party-published games (includes DH) Impact: Kickstarter is the new Greenlight. Games publishing becomes a huge (shady) business, with many "publishers" luring devs with a premise of nothing but a free spot on Steam. A lot of these publishers are founded by "assetflip oligarchs" who made a killing during the greenlight era and wish to spread the Wisdom of the Drag'n'Drop upon all, it still remaining the superior way of making money on Steam. Publishers like [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/KotakuInAction/comments/43bo19/a_company_called_black_shell_media_is_scamming/]Black Shell Media[/url] [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/5tez1s/if_it_cost_5000_to_publish_on_greenlight_then/]writing on reddit how this is the golden age of Steam[/url]. If you've just started with gamedev, asset flips are still good to go, as now you'll have hundreds of publishers like Digital Homicide to choose from. The "small team's Steam dream" is now facing more risks than before, between receiving tons of spam daily from shady publishers and making their game visible among thousands of Kickstarter campaigns, most of which never get funded. On the flip side, if all proceeds still go to Child's Play, we might be able to finally cure cancer... with cancer.[/quote] Paywalls aren't the solution to Steam's quality problem in any form, maybe except for weeding out games by inept yet innocent developers (serial asset-flippers aren't those). There has to be proper curation system in place, automated, community-driven, Valve-driven, I don't care. Or something else, but not a paywall, that would do more harm than good.
The problem with the 1-5k part of the fee (IF ITS EVER THAT MUCH FFS STOP THINKING ITS SET IN STONE) is that yeah, it will make it hard for new people or those in low income countries. This doesnt become an issue if their first game does well though, as the money made will fund the next.
[QUOTE=Drury;51818499]Here's what's gonna happen when Valve raises the bar of entry: Paywalls aren't the solution to Steam's quality problem in any form, maybe except for weeding out games by inept yet innocent developers (serial asset-flippers aren't those). There has to be proper curation system in place, automated, community-driven, Valve-driven, I don't care. Or something else, but not a paywall, that would do more harm than good.[/QUOTE] Perhaps a fee thats dependent on region? [editline]13th February 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=Jelman;51818516]The problem with the 1-5k part of the fee (IF ITS EVER THAT MUCH FFS STOP THINKING ITS SET IN STONE) is that yeah, it will make it hard for new people or those in low income countries. This doesnt become an issue if their first game does well though, as the money made will fund the next.[/QUOTE] The fee's are also going to be recoupable. Someone else suggested 100% of the profits might go to them until the fee is recouped, then it goes back to the normal 30% cut.
[QUOTE=AaronM202;51818517]Perhaps a fee thats dependent on region?[/QUOTE] That still won't stop asset flips. It's just pointless to fight those guys with money, they got enough of those.
The only way to kill asset flips is going to be killing them on the spot with vigilance
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