Let’s preface this by saying that Steam is a free platform. You can go and create an account right now with no charge, and never buy a game. So while many will argue that it is unfair to compare the 15 million user base of Steam to the 10 million user base of World of WarCraft, which involves a recurring monthly fee, Valve is still an amazing company that really seems to understand their audience.
Valve fully deserves every bit of success they receive, and they will continue to be successful because they actively pursue innovation and enhance the video game industry with their passion as a whole.
Who else do you know that self-publishes games with a developer mindset? Who else packs five completely separate games (Orange Box) and sells it for $50-$60? Finally, who else trumps the competition by looking out for the consumer as opposed to the bottom dollar (I’m looking at you Games for Windows Live.)?
Blizzard is the only comparable competitor, and we all know how successful they are. This also doubles up as a big ‘F*** you’ from Valve to those that believe that the PC is a dead platform. Congratulations Valve, you deserve it — now give me Half Life 2: Episode Three.
Source: Steam
