On PlayStation, you use the PS Store; on Xbox, use the Microsoft Store; and on PC you use Steam.
There are other options, sure, but Valve's platform is synonymous with PC gaming, pulling in twice as many active monthly users as its biggest competitor, Epic Games. Unsurprisingly, therefore, developers are concerned that Valve has a monopoly on the market.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, distribution platform Rokky recently published an independent study, conducted by Atomik Research, which surveyed over 300 industry executives in the UK and US to discuss this topic.
75 of those surveyed are senior C-suite executives and 77 percent come from studios with more than 50 employees.
72 percent claim Steam has a monopoly, while the majority of studios surveyed claim 75 percent of their revenue comes from Valve's storefront, even after embracing alternatives like EGS and Xbox.
Developers plan to expand beyond Steam to e-stores and other marketplaces
Given Steam's notorious 20-30 percent cut of all sales, something that so incensed Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney that he emailed Gabe Newell directly, calling Valve “a**holes,” it's hardly surprising that developers are exploring other revenue opportunities.
80 percent expect to use e-stores like Fanatical and Humble Bundle, and marketplaces like G2A and Kinguin, because of the ease of use, price control, international reach and marketing support.
“With the growing prominence of e-stores and marketplaces, the distribution of PC games is more diverse, extensive and complex than it has ever been,” said Rokky co-founder and CEO Vadim Andreev. “New opportunities are everywhere – as are pitfalls and challenges. And most of the old guard remain relevant.
“Understanding the nuances has never been more important, and so we created this report to highlight the trends that matter,” he concluded.
75 percent of respondents expect to see “at least 10 percent increased revenue” from using these alternative storefronts, although several respondents expressed concern about the “grey market” when using these platforms.
Unofficial platforms where resellers profit from keys acquired through packages or illegal means, reducing a developer's profit.
Some developers, often in the indie space, have gone so far as to suggest that it would be better to pirate their games than to buy them from platforms like G2A, given concerns about gray market retailers. In contrast, platforms such as G2A have taken measures to ensure that resellers use legitimate keys.
Either way, this survey suggests that developers will only continue to diversify beyond Steam, and while it may not be as drastic as removing games from the platform entirely, as we saw with Ubisoft, concerns continue that Valve has too tight a grip on PC gaming.
- Stamp
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Valve
- Original release date
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September 12, 2003
- Original MSRP (USD)
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N/A
- Weight
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N/A
