Retail threatens Steam ban

[D3ads]

The world's biggest digital distribution platform for games is under attack.

MCV understands that key retailers will drop titles that integrate the popular Steam service as fears mount that the service has a ‘monopoly’ on the download market.

Insiders say Steam, run by US studio Valve, serves a massive 80 per cent of the PC download sector. And retailers preparing their own rival platforms don’t want that share to grow any more.

Some of the biggest PC games – such as Call of Duty and Fallout – use Steam. But retailers are concerned that selling games with the tech built-in pushes users towards only buying games via Valve going forward.

At least two major retailers will demand that publishers remove Steam from their games – or they will not sell them in any form.

“If we have a digital service, then I don’t want to start selling a rival in-store,” said the digital boss at one of the biggest UK games retailers.

“Publishers are creating a monster ­– we are telling suppliers to stop using Steam in their games.”

The head of sales at a big-name digital service provider agreed: “At the moment the big digital distributors need to stock games with Steam. But the power resides with bricks and mortar retailers, they can refuse to stock these titles. Publishers are hesitant, but retail must put pressure on them.”

Gaikai CEO David Perry told MCV Steam could become the games-equivilent of iTunes, where it dictates the terms of the market, not the other way around: “Steam has made it so easy for everyone and they have lots of users. But how long do you wait before you take control of your own digital strategy? Like with iTunes, at some point it’s going to be too late.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/41746/Retail- ... -Steam-ban

Yeah.. didn't see that one coming... no really

[-HP-]

I still get most of my games on retail, steam is way too fucking expensive. I only buy shit on steam when they have those special cheap discount occasions.

Example, CoD. get it on steam, you pay 60€! On amazon.co.uk, you pay 40€.

[Chimeray]

Call me old fashioned but I don't like the whole download craze... Same for DLC.

I just want to go to the store, look at the shelves, see what's new. Pick up a box, read the manual, insert disk and there you have it...

A download is just... well, not physical

[Campaignjunkie]

I buy all my games on Steam. USD pricing + great sales + no sales tax + downloadable delivery + no DVDs to keep track of + some indie stuff that never makes it to retail.

But the real issue here, I think, is Steamworks. There's no other real middleware solution for everything it does -- GFWL is 100 times worse and, ugh, does anyone remember the utter shit that was Gamespy Arcade? Punkbuster is kind of iffy too. Ubisoft's always-internet DRM is crazy. I think Impulse had something like "Goo" or something? Is anyone using that?

[Jetsetlemming]

"Steam is killing off this platform we're intentionally trying to kill off because we can't sell its games used! :ssj: "

[deceiver]

Call me old fashioned but I don't like the whole download craze... Same for DLC.

I just want to go to the store, look at the shelves, see what's new. Pick up a box, read the manual, insert disk and there you have it...

A download is just... well, not physical

Except now PC Games are now on this little shelf hidden at the back of the store at most gamestop/ebgames.

[Bunglo]

The only reason publishers go with Steam Works for their DRM is because far more users prefer that over something like Securom where every option is ticked.

This is pretty much the norm for most digital distributors who bother to voice their... "opinion". They basically use fear mongering rhetoric to sway the consumer away from Steam because they know Steam makes way more in profits than they do and that's just not right apparently.

Rather than say the sky will fall if Steam produces any more revenue percentage, make a better digital distribution platform that actually has the capability to compete with Steam.

The head of sales at a big-name digital service provider agreed: “At the moment the big digital distributors need to stock games with Steam. But the power resides with bricks and mortar retailers, they can refuse to stock these titles. Publishers are hesitant, but retail must put pressure on them.”

Notice how all of the complaints are coming from other digital distributors. Why the hell would say, Walmart give a rats ass what DRM a game uses? They wouldn't and they don't, the only retailers making a big deal out of this are the ones who have their own digital distribution service.

They're fooling themselves if they think brick and mortar stores have the power to sway publishers in choosing a different DRM. Only the consumer has the power to dictate what DRM will go into a game, even if it takes the publisher longer than it should to realize that. In fact, at this point, brick and mortar stores are probably the last people to convince a publisher from doing anything. Digital distribution, be is Steam or some other platform, makes up a good 80% of total sales (I could be wrong on that, I'm going from memory here.) No publisher is going to say to their stockholders they just made a move to get more games sold in physical form instead of digital, it just isn't going to happen.

[Steppenwolf]

It makes sense. I'm also not a fan that games that i bought retail only work with Steam. For example when i bought Civ 5 i couldn't play it for two days because it wasn't officialy launched on Steam at this point.

Steam should only be an option that retail games give for people who like the socialising and the achievements, DLC etc. It shouldn't be integral part of a retail game. That indeed is creating a monopoly situation.

[Bunglo]

It makes sense. I'm also not a fan that games that i bought retail only work with Steam. For example when i bought Civ 5 i couldn't play it for two days because it wasn't officialy launched on Steam at this point.

That's pretty much the situation with every game today, retail or otherwise. That's what DRM is, not allowing the consumer to play until the server says it's ok.

Steam should only be an option that retail games give for people who like the socialising and the achievements, DLC etc. It shouldn't be integral part of a retail game. That indeed is creating a monopoly situation.

I don't think those are the core reasons a publisher chooses to implement Steam. They might use it as an additional selling point but ultimately it's about protecting their product (if that actually works or not is a different discussion.)

Yes, Steam is creating a monopoly over digital sales and competition is definitely better for the consumer. However, I don't see any other companies truly attempting to compete with Valve. People aren't going to stop buying games from Steam because other digital distributors want a bigger piece of the pie. Nothing will change until they actual do something. Less qq, more pewpew.

[Jetsetlemming]

Steam should only be an option that retail games give for people who like the socialising and the achievements, DLC etc. It shouldn't be integral part of a retail game. That indeed is creating a monopoly situation.

I don't see how it's a monopoly situation for the game's copy protection to be an integral part. People who got games like Bioshock ahead of their official release dates couldn't play them either, because Bioshock was remotely activated by Securom before it would play.

[Bunglo]

As Jetsetlemming has stated, Steam being the DRM for certain games is not what's creating the monopoly as some digital distributors are claiming. Even if it was only Valve games and games purchased through Steam that used Steam's DRM, Steam would still be the most popular digital platform. That's the big reason publishers would choose it in the first place.

[Steppenwolf]

It seems you guys don't understand what the issue is here.

Let's say Gamestop wants to create his own digital download service and wants people to buy their games there, use their social networking, dlc downloads etc. In their shops however they sell retail games which are already interwoven with Steam. This means they have to sell a product for the direct competition and they can't do anything to break this monopoly except treaten to not sell these games anymore.

The solution here is to give buyers of retail games the choice if and with which digital service they want to connect their game. Just like internet users have the choice between different browsers.

[Sentura]

It seems you guys don't understand what the issue is here.

Let's say Gamestop wants to create his own digital download service and wants people to buy their games there, use their social networking, dlc downloads etc. In their shops however they sell retail games which are already interwoven with Steam. This means they have to sell a product for the direct competition and they can't do anything to break this monopoly except treaten to not sell these games anymore.

The solution here is to give buyers of retail games the choice if and with which digital service they want to connect their game. Just like internet users have the choice between different browsers.

that's quite an elegant solution to the problem. they should vouch for whatever government to intervene and make it like this.

[FrieChamp]

In fact, at this point, brick and mortar stores are probably the last people to convince a publisher from doing anything. Digital distribution, be is Steam or some other platform, makes up a good 80% of total sales (I could be wrong on that, I'm going from memory here.) No publisher is going to say to their stockholders they just made a move to get more games sold in physical form instead of digital, it just isn't going to happen.

Steam is estimated to be around 80% of total digital sales, not total game sales of physical and digital combined. Ask any publisher, they will tell you that physical retail is a lot more important to them than digital. Simply because it still represents the bigger revenue stream.

[Psy]

I would care if Game and Gamestation bothered to stock PC games other than 3 for £5 offers, the Sims and WoW.