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[Gravy Boat]

that's the usual sequential decline form a holiday quarter, what you're talking about

and the latest report is also not the higest MAU ever
that was 55m in Q4CY2016, while the last quarter was 53m

when there is no more YoY growth or YoY decline, Microsoft should be worried


edit:
i also do not consider 2016, aka last year, a couple of years ago at all
a couple of years ago is at least 3 to 5 years ago

A couple means 2.

 

[Mameshiba]

Thanks, now I get where you are coming from.
From the $30bn that you have quoted, $10 billion is World of Warcraft alone. Do you think it is relevant to include it in analysis?

Quite the trick from Activision-Blizzard to make 10 billion revenue a year, yet the whole company had a total revenue of only 6.7 billion.

 

[Ascheroth]

You think Steam's market share in 2017 is much lower than back in 2009?

Yes, I do think that Steams market share on the PC market is lower in 2017 than in 2009, while at the same time it's userbase is much higher now than it was in 2009.
League of Legends has like 100 million users nowadays. League of Legends released a month before that article was written. GoG, Uplay, Origin, etc, didn't even exist at that time as well.
That article also only talks about 'digital distribution' and ignores the MMO and MOBA etc markets entirely.

It's a fair point about 2009, unfortunatelly I couldn't find a more recent study (and I don't think that Steam's market share significantly went down between 2009 to 2017).
"digital distribution" is exactly what I had in mind.

Worth mentioning that this is not even a study, just an interview with the owner of a now defunct digital distribution platform.

And you can't say 'Steam has 70% market share on PC' while ignoring MMOs and MOBAS and all that jazz.

 

[Hektor]

I would appreciate if you wouldn't put words in my mouth.


You think Steam's market share in 2017 is much lower than back in 2009?

You were the one asking which dictionary language as if that wouldn't be obvious *shrug*

Most other online game stores didnt even exist in 2009

 

[Syf]

You think Steam's market share in 2017 is much lower than back in 2009?

The digital distribution landscape is vastly different today than in 2009. The large publishers now have their own digital storefronts and those didn't exist back then. It is much lower, yeah.

 

[Abilidebob]

Quite the trick from Activision-Blizzard to make 10 billion revenue a year, yet the whole company had a total revenue of only 6.7 billion.

You forgot to account for the 4 billion they lose annually to pirates.

 

[Fiendcode]

A couple means 2.

I'm having mediacreate flashbacks.

 

[Lister]

Those are interesting numbers, considering that less than 50 million discrete GPUs are sold annually.

Well it's not like those numbers reset every year.

A good GPU is likely to be relevant to modenr games for a good 5 years.

 

[LordRaptor]

You think Steam's market share in 2017 is much lower than back in 2009?

In 2009 the three prominent digital distribution services were Steam, Impulse, and Direct2Drive. Arguably GFWL.

In 2017, two (or three if you include GFWL) of those services no longer exist, but Origin, UPlay, Amazon, and Battle.Net do, in addition to a number of 'single game only' services like Riot Games launcher for LoL.

 

[patapuf]

In 2009 the three prominent digital distribution services were Steam, Impulse, and Direct2Drive. Arguably GFWL.

In 2017, two (or three if you include GFWL) of those services no longer exist, but Origin, UPlay, Amazon, and Battle.Net do, in addition to a number of 'single game only' services like Riot Games launcher for LoL.

And you have companies like Tencent starting to really push their launchers as well.

 

[Blam]

People act like steams number is representative of the entire gaming market on the PC. The PC gaming market is fucking huge. Probably quadruple that number.

 

[Lashley]

but pc gaming is ded tho

i was told pc gamein is ded

Spoiler

Pleased about this, and honestly? Not surprised. PC Gaming is the tits.

 

[Felix Lighter]

I believe most of the confusion comes from people unfamiliar with the platform spending a lot of time on gaf.

 

[hanspampel]

A couple means 2.

in what country?
so the phrase "a couple of times" or "a couple of hours" means always exactly 2?

why do people use that world exactly and an unspecific term, if they mean 2 and nothing else all the time?
makes sense...

I
Thanks, now I get where you are coming from.
From the $30bn that you have quoted, $10 billion is World of Warcraft alone. Do you think it is relevant to include it in analysis?

.

i think it's important to be specific what you're talking about and comparing
and more information is always better than less.

hence why i said steam is not 70% of the pc gaming market, when it comes to $ volume or player base
when it comes to "Console AAA" and indie games on PC, that 70% figure is likely not far off from true, tho

 

[cakely]

People are getting weirdly upset in this thread, but it's hard to tell why. Is it because they think Steam's numbers are being underrepresented?

edit:
i also do not consider 2016, aka last year, a couple of years ago at all
a couple of years ago is at least 3 to 5 years ago

Absolutely not. A couple normally means "two" or more colloquially, "a few".

 

[Bluth54]

Are we sure Steam didn't artificially create those people, via cloning and nucular technologies and forced them to play a game each month?

I think it's much more likely that Gabe Newell is breaking into people's houses and forcing them to launch a game on Steam at knifepoint.

 

[BennyBlanco]

 

[TaterTots]

Incredible how PC gaming is growing.

 

[Gunslinger]

Incredible how PC gaming is growing.

But the way it's growing is not healthy. Only one major game distribution platform is not good for the industry.

 

[Mivey]

But the way it's growing is not healthy. Only one major game distribution platform is not good for the industry.

As far as the PC industry at large is concerned, Valve is not that big. As for it's dominance within this part of PC gaming is concerned, this was earned by offering a really good service, and continuing to do so. There are way more alternatives now, with GOG, Humble and publishers like EA and Ubisoft offering their own storefronts. If Steam would start to alienate customers, people could simply switch to other services.
Right now, PC Gaming seems to me much healthier and resilient than, say console gaming with its reliance on few manufacturers offering completely closed gardens.

But I can understand that most people on GAF are just so in love with PC Gaming, that even though things do look good, they want them looking even better, therefore the seemingly overcritical postings here. It's kinda heart warming.

 

[KHarvey16]

But the way it's growing is not healthy. Only one major game distribution platform is not good for the industry.

It's like a big, predictable loop.

 

[Sad Affleck]

Incredible how PC gaming is growing.

I don't think most people appreciate how incredible the platform's turnaround really is. PC gaming might not have reached the glory days of the late 90s yet but the breadth of gaming experiences you can find on the platform is astonishing. The modern PC gamer can play the most obsure and esoteric indie game and the latest blockbuster release, as well as dive into decades worth of classic titles. Just yesterday I was playing Titanfall 2 on Origin Access and when I finished I fired up Grimoire. A modern blockbuster FPS and a literal 90s-era tile-based dungeon crawler, side by side. So cool.

But the way it's growing is not healthy. Only one major game distribution platform is not good for the industry.

Valve deserves its success. The PC is an open platform, if they start messing up there will be other competitors ready to take Valve's place. I'm not worried.

 

[pretty done]

There is such thing as opinion you know.

Saying "fucking fanboys" and then pushing your opinion like it's fact makes you hypocritical.

Oh sorry. I forgot I should have put IMO otherwise HOW THE FUCK would anyone know that was just my opinion and not a fact. Sorry, Xbox avatar, I'll try to consider your feelings next time I post an opinion.

 

[Nev]

PC gaming might not have reached the glory days of the late 90s yet

Are you serious? PC gaming have never been bigger/better.

The sheer amount of titles available from the very begining of gaming, emulators for basically every console, the best online platform with free online (Steam) affordable rigs and laptops that shit on consoles, cheap as fuck games, etc.

Not to mention the biggest games in the world are PC exclusive.

It's almost too good to be true.

Meanwhile some people are paying +300€ for a closed hardware that asks them more money for a pawyall each year and chanting #praiseshu while downplaying Steam's success with hilarious and desperate spinning.

#4thepayers

 

[LordRaptor]

But the way it's growing is not healthy. Only one major game distribution platform is not good for the industry.

What are the ways in which it is not good for 'the industry'?

Pricing competition?
Nope, the way it is set up is that there is an in-built price competition to the extent that the 'official' storefront is very often the most expensive place to purchase titles day one.

Lack of features other competitors offer?
Nope, Steam is miles ahead of everyone on features. Miles ahead of most digital non-game distributors too.

Platform lock-in?
Nope, I can play OSX and Linux games (where available) on those respective platforms for the initial purchase price, and that library is a continuum.
With a console its up to the good graces of the platform owner to allow me access to a previous iterations library.

Unable to be successfuol anywhere else?
Nope.
Minecraft, Leagues Of Legends, Overwatch, maybe you've heard of these games. They have something in common.

Where's the big detrimental effects to the consumer of Steam being better than the other guys are?

 

[jonscrambler]

Not much of a difference.

PSN is like mostly PS4, 1000 PS3s and 2 Vitas nowadays.

joke post? you think that few PS3/Vita/PSTV are in active use? I would they make up 30-40% of that PSN number

 

[-COOLIO-]

Oh sorry. I forgot I should have put IMO otherwise HOW THE FUCK would anyone know that was just my opinion and not a fact. Sorry, Xbox avatar, I'll try to consider your feelings next time I post an opinion.

Yikes

What's this dude's problem?

 

[Phrozenflame500]

But the way it's growing is not healthy. Only one major game distribution platform is not good for the industry.

Pretty much everyone and their mother has a proprietary distribution platform nowadays. If anything Steam is less of a monopoly nowadays compared to a few years ago.

 

[Z3M0G]

 

[Script of the Bridge]

I believe most of the confusion comes from people unfamiliar with the platform spending a lot of time on gaf.

There has always been a slight anti-PC vibe to this forum, not sure why.

 

[fluffydelusions]

There has always been a slight anti-PC vibe to this forum, not sure why.

Some people don't like to see success outside of their platform of choice it seems.

 

[Script of the Bridge]

Some people don't like to see success outside of their platform of choice it seems.

How does it effect them though?

 

[Felix Lighter]

There has always been a slight anti-PC vibe to this forum, not sure why.

I wouldn't say anti-PC but a lot of platform loyalty.

however I think the reason Steam's role in PC gaming is overstated here is, compared to the general gaming population, Gaf values large publisher major single player releases and more recently some indy single player games more. I also think PC gaming on this forum has become more common but there is a growing percentage of those that are console converts that are looking for the same kind of games they played on console but are drawn to the more powerful platform. Steam is the perfect place for all of that but I think it skews perspective of the PC platform.

 

[horkrux]

It's not elitism, its a fact that these two markets have different preferences

Nier is not a particular complex game and very narratively focused, the opposite of what I've been talking about.

In addition to that, the pc version received no marketing and was pretended to not be existent more often than not.

Every single trailer and ad exclusively mentioned the ps4 version, willfully omitting the existence of a pc release, even live on stage the game was once called PlayStation exclusive.

Furthermore, the game launched with delay and little fanfare as a bad port whose issues have not been fixed to this very day, including crashes, resolution locks and a missing online feature.

It also happened to be the 4th game In a franchise that had all games releasing on PlayStation platforms but not a single one on pc prior.

The same goes for the developers own pedigree who just now started releasing their games like vanquish and bayonetta on pc, meaning their was no platinum fanbase garnered on pc over the years the same way it was on console.

These sales are hardly comparable.

What is calling AAA games 'shallow cinematic experiences' if not sheer elitism? Just how complex does a game have to be in order for a PC gamer to deem it worthy of his attention? /s

500k for Nier on PC is also no slouch, so I doubt people who care about these niche games didn't know about it. It just pales when you start to compare it to PS4 sales. Dark Souls 1 also performed extremely well on PC, despite being a shody port. EA games can also do really well, even when most of them are absolute tosh from a technical perspective.
I don't doubt that PC gamers have different preferences, but it seems to amount to a very limited range of titles (preferably sandbox multiplayer), because multiplatform titles usually perform equal or better on consoles across the board, regardless of genre (with the exception of stuff like RTS etc., I mean they are a pain to play without a mouse). Complex games can also do well on consoles, so it's not like console plebs are just simple folk.
This wouldn't be so bad (for me), but seeing how many fun MP games suffer on PC since they don't seem to adhere to the higher standards of PC gamers is really really frustrating.

Many software companies release their software sales, and the PC is generally around the 33% share for revenue for multiplatform titles.
No, the PC is not bigger than X1 + PS4 combined for multiplatforms, but why would it be? It is frequently as big as either console.

I really doubt this, but maybe I'm just looking at the wrong games. I'm not expecting PC to outperform both though, that would be silly.
I wouldn't be surprised if those 33% were more often than not only achieved in the long run after heavy discounts.

 

[LordRaptor]

I really doubt this, but maybe I'm just looking at the wrong games. I'm not expecting PC to outperform both though, that would be silly.
I wouldn't be surprised if those 33% were more often than not only achieved in the long run after heavy discounts.

People on GAF when discussing the PC as a viable gaming platform tend to frame the question as "PC versus consoles" when they say things like "x only sold y on PC, but z on consoles" where z is often y*2.

EA, Ubisoft, Take2, Activision et al regularly have topics about their financials breaking down revenue by platform, and in the majority of cases it is broadly an equal split.
(e: well, EA skew lower on PC, because they don't sell their games anywhere except Origin on PC)

 

[MUnited83]

But the way it's growing is not healthy. Only one major game distribution platform is not good for the industry.

The whole PC industry is getting bigger, not only Steam, but thanks for the concern trolling.

 

[888]

so any one with "run steam when my pc starts" counts as active user... ok legit and real statistics

So anyone that has a PS Account that auto signs in when it is turned on counts as an active user?

 

[pretty done]

The whole PC industry is getting bigger, not only Steam, but thanks for the concern trolling.

So anyone that has a PS Account that auto signs in when it is turned on counts as an active user?

You guys both know they're trolling and still give them what they want

 

[Huge Succeeded]

But the way it's growing is not healthy. Only one major game distribution platform is not good for the industry.

bruuuuuh you don't know how PC gaming is growing

 

[Huge Succeeded]

I hear this kind of elitism often

I hear you don't like consensus that's been established for years. That's too bad. For you, anyway.

 

[Hektor]

What is calling AAA games 'shallow cinematic experiences' if not sheer elitism? Just how complex does a game have to be in order for a PC gamer to deem it worthy of his attention? /s

What else am i supposed to call "mechanically not very complex that don't require much learning to be played in favor of narratively driven cutscenes" as to not offend your sensibilities?

500k for Nier on PC is also no slouch, so I doubt people who care about these niche games didn't know about it. It just pales when you start to compare it to PS4 sales.

Yea, it paled in comparison to the version that was actually advertised, not delayed, didn't constantly crash for many people and already had established an (albeit minor) fanbase, stop pretending that doesn't make a difference so you can tell yourself that you have a point.

Dark Souls 1 also performed extremely well on PC, despite being a shody port. EA games can also do really well, even when most of them are absolute tosh from a technical perspective.

The Dark Souls franchise is outselling their console counterparts, which is literally proving my point.

There's a reason why this franchise sells more than 50% of Dark Souls of its units on PC nowadays, but other AAA games dont.

because multiplatform titles usually perform equal or better on consoles across the board, regardless of genre

"mechanically not at all complex that don't require much thought to be played in favor of narratively driven cutscenes" indeed tend to perform much better on console than on PC.

Meanwhile, multiplat games like DOOM, Dark Souls, Core-RPG's (Wasteland 2, D:OS, Torment) literally 99% of all indiegames, however don't.

If you don't notice the pattern there i cannnot help you.





And all of that isn't even getting into the fact that on PC, people simply have more games to choose from than on console.

 

[Chocolate & Vanilla]

in what country?
so the phrase "a couple of times" or "a couple of hours" means always exactly 2?

why do people use that world exactly and an unspecific term, if they mean 2 and nothing else all the time?
makes sense...

"Two things paired together" is literally the dictionary definition of couple

 

[hanspampel]

"Two things paired together" is literally the dictionary definition of couple

In the context of time. Two years paired together, lol.
There is a difference between a couple and a couple.
Germany is so smart to differentiate between "ein paar" and "ein Paar"


Hey do you want a couple of my M&Ms from me?
But dare you to be disappointed after getting just 2

 

[AmaterasuOkami076]

My big take from this is "holy shit League of Legends has 100m active players?!" What the hell that's fucking mind blowing to think about. I knew it was big but fuuuck.

 

[SargerusBR]

You will never see Valve making games ever again

 

[Csr]

so which service has a faster growth rate of these two?

 

[Chocolate & Vanilla]

In the context of time. Two years paired together, lol.
There is a difference between a couple and a couple.
Germany is so smart to differentiate between "ein paar" and "ein Paar"


Hey do you want a couple of my M&Ms from me?
But dare you to be disappointed after getting just 2

I mean, you can argue it as much as you like but a couple means 2. That's a fact. Every native English speaker would assume you mean 2 when you say couple. If you mean a general single digit amount e.g 3,4,5 etc without being specific you would say "a few".

 

[cakely]

In the context of time. Two years paired together, lol.
There is a difference between a couple and a couple.
Germany is so smart to differentiate between "ein paar" and "ein Paar"


Hey do you want a couple of my M&Ms from me?
But dare you to be disappointed after getting just 2

... what?

"Couple" as a verb means "join two things together". A couple as a relationship means "two people". All those definitions are related. They all refer to ... two things.

Ok, I'm done. I'm way off topic.

 

[Regolego]

Steam Achievement system sucks. If you play a game without starting Steam - you wont be able to get Achievements already taken "offline".
On PS you can play a game offline, heck you can also play a demo and unlock trophies afterwards when you connect to PSN/buy the full game.

 

[LordRaptor]

Take this "couple" argument back to mediacreate threads plz