The developer of the game 'Steam Marines' [Official Site, Steam] has been talking about sales of the game, and Linux represented 2% of the total.
Here's a reminder on what the game is:
Direct Link
It's worth noting that Mac only hit 3%, considering their marketshare on Steam is a lot higher than ours, that's surprising.
Steam Marines 1 lifetime sales are (approximately) 3% Mac and 2% Linux.
— Steamed Buns Bums (@Worthless_Bums) November 8, 2016
So. It's generally not profitable for me to support them.
The developer did say that they will continue to support us, even if it's not financially sound for them to do so. That alone should be applauded.
The developer also noted that Linux users didn't generally need much help:
Linux users almost never contact me for tech support. And the 95% of Windows users represent less than 50% of my tech support issues.
— Steamed Buns Bums (@Worthless_Bums) November 8, 2016
One Tweet in particular caught my attention:
95% of the sales came from Windows users. This was despite Linux users arguing that lots would buy if a Linux version was made available.
— Steamed Buns Bums (@Worthless_Bums) November 8, 2016
I've said it before, and I will say it again, don't bug developers for a Linux version if you aren't personally interested and plan to buy it. It can create situations like this, but it's also worth noting that the developer may have overestimated how much they would make from Linux.
Linux only represents currently 0.89% of the Steam user-base, so 2% of your overall sales to have come from Linux is actually quite healthy. To me, that says the developer expected a little too much. That 2% figure is more than other developers have seen.
It's also worth noting that Steam Marines came to Linux around a year after the original Windows release. Games that don't get a day-1 Linux release often tend to see lower Linux sales as a result of many factors. The first being that Windows obviously had around a year extra to bring in sales, Linux as mentioned above is a smaller market, dual-booters often become impatient and buy a Windows copy, some people use Wine and so on. A day-1 Linux release is generally a must-do if you want to see good sales and support from Linux gamers.
Still, it's great to see developers speaking about this in the open and if you like the look of Steam Marines go pick up a copy and support an indie developer.
https://gyazo.com/5f61ee82080f8bb3d41fe4b3b9e32d91
And yeah, Mac users are responsible for majority of tech issues :)
Last edited by MaCroX95 on 8 November 2016 at 5:35 pm UTC
Just because you're supporting Linux and Mac people won't buy your shitty game.
When Witcher 3,Skyrim and Doom like AAA games comes to SteamOS and Linux people will greatfully buy them.
We don't need your shitty game(s).We're happy with Mad Max,Shadow of Mordor,Civilazition V and stuff like that.
He just sees Linux and Mac users for profit.His goal is not sharing a game's fun with platforms.
To him,Windows users are worthy.We're just leftovers
hardpenguin Nov 8, 2016
Quoting: LeopardWhat is that smug developer?You are insane. No matter if it's Civ 5, Deus Ex, Undertale or Stardew Valley, percentage share in sales will always be the same.
Just because you're supporting Linux and Mac people won't buy your shitty game.
When Witcher 3,Skyrim and Doom like AAA games comes to SteamOS and Linux people will greatfully buy them.
We don't need your shitty game(s).We're happy with Mad Max,Shadow of Mordor,Civilazition V and stuff like that.
He just sees Linux and Mac users for profit.His goal is not sharing a game's fun with platforms.
To him,Windows users are worthy.We're just leftovers
The Steam Marines developer actually cared and cares to support Linux and Mac, which are the minority of gaming market. He shared his numbers publicly. He contributes to the community that way. And this is what you think of him?
And what did you do to make our small gaming niche better?
Shame.
Btw, I already have the game, I got it from an humble bundle. Is he also counting the linux sales from there? I just almost never buy simple indie games directly from steam, I get them from bundles.
Last edited by edo on 8 November 2016 at 7:09 pm UTC
Quoting: MaCroX95People like @Leopard are throwing bad light on our community.
In Dutch we have a saying (can't think of an English equivalent) which says something like: people see others as they are themselves. It appears to be much too applicable on the internet. If only people spent as much time informing themselves as they do bitching about others.
If he is loving Linux and Mac community;then why he is complaining about sale percentage?
Why is he saying about game's profits?Why is he whining?
You're just so blind.
Quoting: liamdawe@Leopard that's a really bad attitude to take. They specifically said they will continue to support us even though it's not financially worth it for them. Your attitude undermines us, especially with smaller developers.
I think sometimes developers saying it isn't worth it is a cop out. Give us some details. How much work did you actually put in to make the Linux version. Like the Rust dev that said it wasn't worth it even though they sold about 30,000 copies, which comes out to around $600,000. Doubt they spent anywhere that to make and support the Linux version. If you're on Unity and didn't use incompatible middle ware, you shouldn't have to sell much to make it profitable.
So while I definitely appreciate that he made and supports the version, and that he said he will continue to support Linux, I find his logic suspect. It doesn't support us well to publicly say it isn't worth it, especially if isn't true. Would be nice to have an idea how much it cost to create/support the Linux version and what was actually brought in by Linux sales.
Like others have said, it isn't accurate to compare numbers when one version comes out two years after the other. The hype is gone, the Windows version has been for sale much...much longer, many people have already bought it for Windows that may have bought it for Linux.
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