Valve shoots down Itch stores attempt to get their client on Steam

The point answered by valve also makes sense

Why Valve will allow another store in Steam?
Doesn't make any sense. Storeception

I don't really care myself because i'd stick with the DRM free Itch store over Steam anyway but I find ut funny that Valve quashed this considering all of the low quality crapware they allow through. I get it from a business standpoint but it makes them look like petty fools when digital homicide can get their games on Steam but Itch can't get their store on Steam.

"It's a shame, but I can see Valve's real point, they don't want any actual competition for sales coming from something on their own store."

I seriously doubt it, otherwise a service like uplay wouldn't be allowed.

It's a shame, but I can see Valve's real point, they don't want any actual competition for sales coming from something on their own store.

I hate it already if a game needs an additional account to play it on Steam. Why hell should I want another Store, which just adds another account on the top? NO THANK YOU!!!!

"It's a shame, but I can see Valve's real point, they don't want any actual competition for sales coming from something on their own store."

I seriously doubt it, otherwise a service like uplay wouldn't be allowed.

What's the problem? uPlay games carry uPlay installer, it's a totally distinct case.

It's a shame, but I can see Valve's real point, they don't want any actual competition for sales coming from something on their own store.

I hate it already if a game needs an additional account to play it on Steam. Why hell should I want another Store, which just adds another account on the top? NO THANK YOU!!!!

itch.io is completely DRM-free, the client app they wanted to add is 100% optional but it is useful for downloading your games :)

The point answered by valve also makes sense

It would make sense if Valve put any substantial effort to manage Steam as a platform and not allow literally everyone squeez their turds into it. And there are numerous examples starting with Guise of the Wolf and Slaughtering Grounds.

This was obviously a marketing stunt, and it worked. It got them noticed, and that's all they were trying to do. I don't think anybody seriously expected Valve to allow a competitor's digital storefront to be distributed through Steam.

It would make sense if Valve put any substantial effort to manage Steam as a platform and not allow literally everyone squeez their turds into it.

I thought Valve very effectively solved that problem by allowing refunds and giving disgruntled customers the opportunity to express their grievances in user reviews. Between those two, there's really no reason a poorly made game should find any kind of success.

Now if people are still getting ripped off by early access games that fail to live up to developers' promises, well, that's their own dumb fault for buying an unfinished product.


Last edited by Mountain Man on 12 Apr 2016 at 7:57 pm UTC

I don't really care myself because i'd stick with the DRM free Itch store over Steam anyway but I find ut funny that Valve quashed this considering all of the low quality crapware they allow through. I get it from a business standpoint but it makes them look like petty fools when digital homicide can get their games on Steam but Itch can't get their store on Steam.

Do itch require client to download the games?

Nvm, someone already answered that.


Last edited by grenadecx on 12 Apr 2016 at 8:00 pm UTC

I hope Valve provides some better kind of integration for other storefronts. If we have to download a second client and run it, it would be pretty annoying. But if they allow other stores properly integrated, as I believe was alluded to during the original Steam Machine/SteamOS hubbub, I think everyone wins.

Just a friendly reminder that this was an april fools joke...

Just a friendly reminder that this was an april fools joke...

April 1, perhaps tongue in cheek, but not merely a joke - they would have gone through with it.

STEAM FTW

Duck GOG,itch and all those lame apps

goVEGAN

Valve is silent most of the time and when they are not they are totally confusing. Gabe Newell said that it would accept other stores on SteamOS :

What part is proprietary? We're trying to make it as open as possible. If EA wants to put Origin on it, that would be fine, etc... (trying to pick an example of something that people think we would prohibit).

Source : https://www.reddit.com/r/motorsports/comments/1v85hy/the_heart_of_racing_new_team_competing_in_uscc/ceqmaeq?context=3

It doesn't make any sense now that they would not accept it, and the reason do not tell us clearly if they would accept it in the future or not.

Reading their statement again, it sounds like they would allow it but they don't have a proper way to categorize it yet.

I don't think you can say anything about valve "squashing competition" or anything like that. It just simply doesn't make any sense to digitally distribute a digital distribution platform.
I don't even think the Itch.io team would really want people launching it through steam. I'm sure if they could take the advertisement and publicity they get from steam without actually having their software on steam then they would take that deal, and so would probably anyone interested in it.

Maybe one day steam will just sell advertising slots for applications that don't want (or need) to be put on steam. When that day comes and steam denies competition, then I'll be shocked. But what they've done here is completely reasonable.


Last edited by stss on 13 Apr 2016 at 4:10 am UTC

I wouldn't mind Steam tossing out all games that need "3rd party DRM" at all, tbh. If you need DRM on top of DRM you're paranoid and I don't want to do business with you.

Why are some of you genuinely outrages with what Valve did? Try to pull that sh@t at your local store and see what happens. And the uPlay analogy is invalid because it is a form of DRM apart from being a client. The Itch client is optional - it adds literally nothing to your Steam experience besides another layer of complexity.