Is STEAM dying or near death?

[Hertston]

Steam creates it's own 'mainstream' titles these days. Games like Day Z and Terraria have sold millions of copies, and even something as 'indie' as Space Engineers has just topped 500,000.

The PC games market has changed dramatically. There are now very few publishers of 'AAA' PC titles anyway, and of these Ubi still use Steam, and Blizzard never have. The only high-profile player I can think of that has actually withdrawn is EA, and the reasoning behind that was keep their own prime stuff to boost their intended 'rival' to Steam, Origin. As it turned out, the only reason anybody even installs Origin is to get the (invariably overpriced) EA games not available elsewhere.

IMHO the increase in availability and visibility of those 'B Movie' type games is a prime reason nobody talks about PC gaming being killed off by consoles any more. The markets have diverged to a significant extent, to the benefit of gamers. A considerable number are far superior (and far more original) games.

A lot of what you are commenting on was originally user-driven anyway, including Greenlight and early access, although I agree the former didn't work out, and IMHO the latter was always a bad idea on quality control grounds. Likewise the oldie re-release titles; the success of GoG clearly shows a commercial demand Steam were just responding to.

[shunwick]

The only problem with Steam is the sheer number of games it handles especially with so many "new" releases. Steam needs to overhaul their front end to make it easier for players to connect with developers/publishers of games they like. At the moment, it is clunky. The present format has outlived its usefulness.

Best wishes,
Steve

[aaatoysandmore]

Well, at least I can honestly say I don't have anything on steam that I would greatly miss if they closed the doors tomorrow. I was just concerned that the B - Movie type games were plastered all over the front page now and a lot of early access stuff. I just see a reduction of AAA titles and even the ones they have (Rome 2 and Rebirth) aren't worth the media they are printed on. I would hate to lose my Total War collection I have on there but I have all the ones that aren't steam required on disks at home anyways. I'll always have MTW1 and RTW no matter what happens to steam. [:)] It's good to be a wargammer still as long as Matrixgames and Slitherine an HPS don't jump ship on us. If they ever go exclusive Steam or Gamersgate though I think it will be over for me. I like owning what I buy.

[JDM]

You have no problem

[wworld7]

So it will be possible for HMS Warspite to defeat panzer Lehr in the battle for Moscow, then ...

[Aurelian]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

ORIGINAL: warspite1


warspite1

Relax CB your money is safe. As soon as I've learned how to program a computer I will have the game up and running in no time.

WITP: WE will be THE bestest, most accurate war game ever, and will be free of the sort of stupid, childish mistakes that plague rubbish games like World In Flames, WITE and WITP: AE etc; namely, HMS Warspite will of course be unsinkable.

Used correctly, she will naturally win any battle, against any opposition, at any time in the war. Examples include: Running low on Spitfires during the Battle of Britain? send for the Grand Old Lady, Having trouble with Uranus? Ouch! Don't send for Zhukov, call for HMS Warspite, Getting hurt in the slot? The US Navy isn't the answer, call for everyone's favourite battleship, having trouble getting rid of a rather unsightly Bulge? Kick Patton into touch, dial 999 and request the assistance of HMS Warspite, The Allies favourite superheroine.

You know it makes sense [:)]

Where do I sign up?

warspite1

Thanks Aurelian. I need to buy some books, en-roll in a college course on programming, and update my computer. Please send me £1,000 GBP in cash and I will put your name down as one of the first to receive a free game when its ready.

My pleasure. Just waiting for that special paper I ordered. Already have the engraving.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Aurelian




Where do I sign up?

warspite1

Thanks Aurelian. I need to buy some books, en-roll in a college course on programming, and update my computer. Please send me £1,000 GBP in cash and I will put your name down as one of the first to receive a free game when its ready.

My pleasure. Just waiting for that special paper I ordered. Already have the engraving.

warspite1

[:D]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: flipperwasirish

So it will be possible for HMS Warspite to defeat panzer Lehr in the battle for Moscow, then ...

warspite1

Of course.

[gradenko2k]

ORIGINAL: aaatoysandmore
Well, at least I can honestly say I don't have anything on steam that I would greatly miss if they closed the doors tomorrow. I was just concerned that the B - Movie type games were plastered all over the front page now and a lot of early access stuff. I just see a reduction of AAA titles and even the ones they have (Rome 2 and Rebirth) aren't worth the media they are printed on. I would hate to lose my Total War collection I have on there but I have all the ones that aren't steam required on disks at home anyways. I'll always have MTW1 and RTW no matter what happens to steam. [:)] It's good to be a wargammer still as long as Matrixgames and Slitherine an HPS don't jump ship on us. If they ever go exclusive Steam or Gamersgate though I think it will be over for me. I like owning what I buy.

Those are two different issues though:

1. So many games are getting into Steam that the "triple-A" titles are getting buried in the avalanche - while this may be partly true, this is simply because Steam is popular enough that everyone wants to get on-board. The problem isn't that there are too many games on Steam, it's that their storefront isn't customizable enough to filter out stuff that a person doesn't want according to his or her own taste.

2. The "triple-A" titles you see aren't actually very good - this is not Steam's problem, like, at all! Your sample size is two games according to your own personal preferences and is again purely a symptom of Steam being a carrier for a vast majority of games. Hypothetically speaking, if the turn-based strategy game market exploded and we had 50 releases in a year and all of those went to Matrix/Slitherine, it's practically guaranteed that A. some of those games would be hammered shite (*cough* World in Flames *coughcough*) and B. that has absolutely no bearing on whether or not Matrix/Slitherine would be shuttering their doors anytime soon.

[aaatoysandmore]

I only used 2 examples because that is all I wanted to type not because those are the only 2 that suck at this time. My main concern is before all this greenlite stuff and early access there were a lot more premium games on the front page and that has dwindled to GoG standards of just put anything up there that is being made. I'd more like to see 85-90+ reviewed scored games on the front page than B-Movie crap. Once again if it turns me away from visiting Steam it is turning others. The silent majority can be louder than you think.

[Qwixt]

About the only premium games that Steam does not get is the Origin exclusive titles. Steam is far from dying no matter how much you may wish it. I would say it's quite the opposite. What you are seeing is Steams attempt to compete with gog basically. The un-silent minority always thinks it's more prevalent issue than it really is.

[aaatoysandmore]

Well, having worked in a lot of hardware stores along the way in my life I saw a lot of closures and going out of business sales when they started taking on products they didn't usually carry. Selling anything and everything they could get their hands on and $6 1/2" 4x8 sheets of plywood just to make book on payroll. Course I know this is not hardware but think of if this way. Steam only really sells one product "Software", when that one product becomes saturated or not as popular sales dwindle. Hardware stores on the other hand sell thousands of products and still find themselves not able to make ends meet. As I said I'd just watch for layoffs in the future then the worrying can begin. Even GoG type games won't last forever. Sad thing is "nothing" ever does really.

[Werewolf13]

ORIGINAL: aaatoysandmore

Well, at least I can honestly say I don't have anything on steam that I would greatly miss if they closed the doors tomorrow. I was just concerned that the B - Movie type games were plastered all over the front page now and a lot of early access stuff. I just see a reduction of AAA titles and even the ones they have (Rome 2 and Rebirth) aren't worth the media they are printed on.

Minor thread hijack:

<Rant ON!>
R2 doesn't suck. It just doesn't do what the hardcore TW guys wanted it to do because CA took a different tack than normal.

The R2 haters are very vocal and as the saying goes the squeaky wheel gets the grease. R2 averages 20K+ players a day and pretty much the same 100 or so guys on the steam forums keep hammering it and sheeplike they have their followers who chime in with their "you are right oh great one".

CA is listening, though, and making changes. I've had R2 since patch 6 and jit was a good game then and even better now.

So many of the haters have such convenient memories and don't remember the release of Shogun2. Shogun 2 was a miserable failure according to the haters too when it 1st came out. Now they use it as a shining example of what CA is capable of. Must be fun living in their drab worlds where they've nothing better to do than rag on developers that produce games they keep on playing while trashing them at the same time.
<Rant OFF!>

[Terminus]

http://steamcharts.com/app/214950

Rome 2 is a TERRIBLE game. They've fixed a lot of stuff, but have obviously given up on the main issues, ie the braindead AI.

And no, it doesn't average 20K players a day. As we can see, by Steam's OWN NUMBERS, it's been steadily leaking players since release. Why? Because it's a BAD GAME.

The people behind it came out and said that they developed the game with the goal of getting a specific MetaCritic score (somewhere in the 90s, I forget which). That's pissing up and down the backs of their audience, no matter how you spin it.

You can like the game if you want to, but don't pretend that anybody who doesn't like it don't have a leg to stand on, and don't make up user statistics that can be disproved by two mouse clicks.

[wings7]

ORIGINAL: aaatoysandmore

I'd more like to see 85-90+ reviewed scored games on the front page than B-Movie crap.

Ross, some of that "B-Movie crap" is "Joyful Game Play" for some gamers.

Patrick

[wings7]

ORIGINAL: aaatoysandmore

Well, having worked in a lot of hardware stores along the way in my life I saw a lot of closures and going out of business sales.

Ross, Internet online stores have hurt even hardware stores [:(]. I still enjoy going to physical stores to buy and look at items and converse with the store owners and customers [:)].

Patrick

[Terminus]

Also, the scores are MetaCritic scores, which are INFINITELY skewed by non-professional reviewers. MetaCritic needs to be deathrayed into oblivion.

That being said, and as I've pointed out before, Valve has a colossal problem with quality control. And it IS their responsibility, especially considering how difficult it is to get your money back from them.

[Qwixt]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Also, the scores are MetaCritic scores, which are INFINITELY skewed by non-professional reviewers. MetaCritic needs to be deathrayed into oblivion.

+Infinity!

I am so sick of hearing people use metacritic user scores to say how good or bad a game is. It's really funny that the scale is 1-10 (or maybe 0-10), when a score is primarily comprised of 1s or 10s. So basically, a binary system.

[doomtrader]

Sorry for jumping into the middle of discussion without reading it.

However I would like to answer the subject.

STEAM is doing great. We love it. It love us.

[Alpha77]

I am not using Steam, as I dont buy/want/need new games atm. However I bought a double package with Empire/Napoleon TW and these need Steam as I know. So I will see what this fabulous steam is all about as soon I need to activate these games I guess.

I also think Rome2 sucks, from my research, not even the graphics are really good.