75
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2025
75 points (100.0% liked)
Gaming
3749 readers
64 users here now
The Lemmy.zip Gaming Community
For news, discussions and memes!
Community Rules
This community follows the Lemmy.zip Instance rules, with the inclusion of the following rule:
- No NSFW content
You can see Lemmy.zip's rules by going to our Code of Conduct.
What to Expect in Our Code of Conduct:
- Respectful Communication: We strive for positive, constructive dialogue and encourage all members to engage with one another in a courteous and understanding manner.
- Inclusivity: Embracing diversity is at the core of our community. We welcome members from all walks of life and expect interactions to be conducted without discrimination.
- Privacy: Your privacy is paramount. Please respect the privacy of others just as you expect yours to be treated. Personal information should never be shared without consent.
- Integrity: We believe in the integrity of speech and action. As such, honesty is expected, and deceptive practices are strictly prohibited.
- Collaboration: Whether you're here to learn, teach, or simply engage in discussion, collaboration is key. Support your fellow members and contribute positively to shared learning and growth.
If you enjoy reading legal stuff, you can check it all out at legal.lemmy.zip.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Here's my feedback: I don't care. Sop gouging game developers.
The amount they collect is far more than the operating costs. But theres a hidden benefit... market visibility. Thats the true value that makes it worth valve's high fees.
Yeah that’s the thing. People compare Valve to Apple all the time but it’s not a fair comparison. Apple controls the hardware platform while Valve does not. Many devs publish their games on multiple platforms including their own websites as well as Steam. Gamers are free to buy on any platform yet many choose Steam. If a dev decides not to publish on Steam that’s fine but they’ll have a harder time getting visibility.
It's not just visibility either, some don't want to have multiple platforms for games and other outright refuse to buy games from anything other than steam
Apple allows you to offer better deals on other platforms. Customers are allowed to buy on other platforms, but sellers aren't allowed to give you any reason to. Even in cases where those other platforms take a smaller cut, the developer has to artificially raise the price until Steam is the cheapest platform if they want to remain on Steam.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/video-game-giant-valve-hit-with-consumer-class-action-over-pricing-2024-08-12/
Can you explain your reasoning why you think steam is gouging devs? While you think it may not be fair valve has offered a lot to devs. If it wasn't for steam, we probably wouldn't have as many indie games as we do now and it wouldn't be feasible for some developers to even dream of creating their own game.
Steam does the marketing, they have a way for devs to interact with players, they store and distribute their game to include updates, they have a store page for every game, they have a payment system, they have drm and anti cheat if you want, they have analytics tools.
You can even sell your game elsewhere with steam keys and they won't take a cut. If devs were that worried about it, they could do that themselves and market it themselves.
Just because a business is a business and trying to make money, doesn't mean they are gouging people.
Steam has a two-part fee structure for developers. First, there's a $100 fee per game when publishing through Steam Direct, which is a one-time, non-refundable fee, but it can be recouped after the game generates $1,000 in adjusted gross revenue. Second, Steam takes a 30% commission on all sales.
Agreed 30% is way to high. 15% is fair and they'd still make a ton of profit.