Subscriptions, they're everywhere and more seem to appear all the time. So, what IF Valve were to announce their own Steam Game Pass to give you access to a great many games?
Let's be realistic here though - Valve doesn't need one. Steam is and will be for a long time to come, a money printing machine because of the user share they have across PC platforms (Linux, macOS and Windows). However, Valve do have competition increasing all the time. Not just from the Epic Games Store but thinking more on the likes of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate - which includes a ton of games along with upcoming game streaming support too. That has proven extremely popular for Microsoft and services like that absolutely will pull people away from buying more games on Steam. Why would you, after all, if you can get 100+ (and growing) AA/AAA and indie games often close to release in a single subscription?
It's something I've been thinking on for a long time, and I've probably mentioned it in some previous articles. I speculated a little back when the subscription and rewards features for Steam leaked out. Although that turned into the points shop and allowing the likes of EA Play and the Crusader Kings II - Expansion Subscription. So now Valve allows other developers to use subscriptions but what about Valve directly though? Are they going to bring out their own, should they do it and would you actually use it?
Many questions! Some of which I posed to our Twitter followers (#1, #2) with the results being quite surprising. A small sample with the majority thinking Valve aren't doing one but 50/50 for people who want it versus not wanting it. I actually expected the question of people wanting it or not to swing quite hard one way which it clearly didn't.
For gamers, it might work out to be more cost effective to have a subscription. Thinking on the cost of these subscription services, it can work out at the price of 1-2 AAA games a year to gain access to tons. You would have to play quite a few of them to actually make it worth it - but a lot of people would probably forget about that part. Even if you're only interested in a few of the games, it could still work out as reasonably good value. For a store like Steam, compared to streaming services, being able to choose between outright buying and subscribing to have access gives the best of both worlds (compared with the likes of Stadia, where it's streaming-only and if it's gone, it's gone even if you "buy" it).
The drawback for developers though is monies. It all depends on the revenue split of each subscription, likely based on how much time is put into each title which could end up being worse for smaller developers who often struggle on Steam as it is. There's a lot of different angles like that to think on. What sort of levels would the subscription have? It could be interesting with different selections like Indie Gems, AAA classics and so on. Could even be an additional bit of marketing for developers as people might spots games from the lists they want to actually buy from it. Also, as a reminder, you don't actually own what you buy on Steam, as per the Steam Subscriber Agreement you get a license to play it.
A Steam Game Pass would probably be quite popular if Valve actually did it though, but will they?
Over to you in the comments: what are you thoughts on if Valve actually did a Steam Game Pass system?
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
More generally, I fear what would become of the vibrant gaming ecosystem if subscription services become the norm. It would install new gatekeepers when at least Steam right now is open to pretty much any developer (others already not so much). And in doing so it would likely narrow the types of games remaining viable, and affect even their gameplay to better match the affordances of a subscription model.
So no, even though it might be the inevitable future, I'm neither interested nor thrilled.
With the current model at least I can come back in 6 months and be, for the most part, sure the game will still be there.
benjamimgois May 24, 2021
slaapliedje May 24, 2021
This discussion is making me re-think subscribing to channels on Amazon Prime though. I mean I do that instead of getting cable. But I also have a large collection of movies on physical medium still. Thinking I should just go with that, it's weirdly cheaper in the long run to just buy series on disc instead of renting an episode for 1.99...
But I prefer the traditional model. I fear that subscription models would end up hurting the smaller developers in favour of the big players on the field.
And while a huge success on certain platforms for sure, I can not see them actually generating more money for single devs with a lets say 10 dollar subscription. I think most gamers spend more than 120 dollars / year on games. I do, and I do not count myself as one who plays a lot.
no_information_here May 24, 2021
Quoting: libgradevThe main issue I have with these services is content vanishing from the sub as my playtime is so erratic these days due to other commitments...Good point. My family watches Netflix, but I don't watch much passive TV. I might notice a movie I want to watch but I don't get around to sitting down at the TV for 3 months, but by then it is gone off the service.
With the current model at least I can come back in 6 months and be, for the most part, sure the game will still be there.
Games would be much much worse. I have a session of New Vegas I need to get back to from about 2 years ago.
Quoting: CSharpWell, yours might be, but mine won't. My internet is fairly reliable, but there have been enough exceptions and enough times playing games on my laptop away from wi-fi, that I can say generally I can play Steam games offline. It squeaks that it can't find Steam and asks plaintively if I want to play in offline mode. Then I do. I can't see how that would be different if I was online but Steam no longer existed.Quoting: HoriI like Steam a lot but I also have all my games here, so even if I wanted to, I couldn't just up and leave without basically throwing away a load of money.
I like this point here. If I don't own the game anyway, why should I pretend to own it. If steam shuts down my games are lost regardless
Quoting: no_information_hereAs I understand it, at this point there almost is no indie music as we used to think of it. Rather, there's amateur music. Independent musicians mostly make so little money they're no longer living on a shoestring doing gigs, rather they're living on a shoestring waiting tables while doing music as best they can on the side for basically nothing. Of course Covid made all that even worse, but the prospect of making a living as a musician had pretty much imploded in the last 20 years even before that.Quoting: TheSHEEEPMy biggest fear with subscription services is that I'm not sure if it is actually viable for smaller developers.Exactly. Ask smaller-name musicians how much money they make on spotify or other streaming services.
Streaming only benefits the platforms and the big names. Everyone else loses.
However, I do understand this appeals to everyone who buys lots of games at face value, so I can only hope such an implementation doesn't mean the end of the current model.
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