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We learned just how small Valve really is this year, but also how good it is at raking in the cash: It's making more money per employee than Apple (www.pcgamer.com)
submitted 2 years ago by [M] to c/games@sh.itjust.works
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[–] -4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Good service is not taking 30% of the revenue on projects that took years to developp and create loot system to get kids addicted to gambling. Life must be so easy when you only care abour you and yourself.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Yes it is, if the service is actually... you know... good. Let's see what Valve offers for its 30% cut:

    • The most robust catalogue on the internet, complete with user-generated tags, search functionality, recommendation algorithms, and fast download speeds.
    • Steam servers for online multiplayer games, which even supports multiplayer mods like Skyrim Together.
    • In-depth lifetime analytics for every item on their platform, accessible to everyone.
    • Reviews, discussion threads and forums for every single game on their platform.
    • The Steam workshop.
    • Research and development towards VR, both on the hardware and software front.
    • Research and development towards their own console.
    • Funding towards open-source compatibility tools, such as Proton.
    • Giving employees of Valve an actual good salary, which is unheard of in the gaming industry outside of Valve or the occasional indie team.
    • The cost of maintaining all the above.

    Pro-consumer practices, such as:

    • Keeping games on their servers, and installable by the customer, even when they're delisted.
    • Allowing customers to refund games.
    • Refunding games when the publisher pulls some garbage, like Sony this year... on several occasions (look into Helldivers and the PSN mandate).
    • Supporting repairability and modability for their console, the Steam Deck, complete with blueprints and tear-downs.

    Find me any platform or company that does all of these things. But I guess you want everything to be free and handed to you on a silver platter?

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  • [–] -1 points 2 years ago (1 child)
    • Take high profit
    • Don't allow you to resell any games
    • Lock your localization for buying
    • Resale your datas aggregate or not to relate your habits, usage patterns, and demographics of customers as a group or individual to 3rd party
    • Can close your account without any notification
    • Everything publishing on steam is the facto their property. This content can be use by Valve for steam offering, promotion, etc... Same for your workshop contributions.
    • They use cookies, web beacons, pixels, ad tags to track you.
    • They store your datas as long as they need to
    • They share your personnal data with third party service providers ... The prices charged are similar to those for games that you can buy outright. Prices are only increasing, with licences now exceeding $120 for some AAA. What is the benefit for the customer? Steam only represents 79 jobs. The price of infrastructure and servers has gone down, operating costs are going down, but Valve is not reducing its margin. About indie productions we can read everywhere about the financial difficulties faced by devs. At valve the per-employee profit are evaluated about $15 million per year (2021). So yes this is not fair and totally disproportionate.
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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    • They don't.

    • That's not unique to Valve.

    • That's not unique to Valve.

    • There is no evidence that Valve sells your data. And they wouldn't even need to.

    • Are you a scammer? Why would you be concerned about them closing your account?

    • That's a blatant lie.

    • Same as the selling data point.

    • Yes, they'll store your data forever if necessary. Because your data is... You know... Evidence of all the things you bought... On their catalogue. That's a service, not a problem.

    • This is the third time you mention Valve selling data. Then you go on a random tangent... Let me try to dissect that...

    • Prices increase for games... Except Valve doesn't dictate that, the game's publishers do.

    • Valve only represents 79 employees... OK? And? So what?

    • Indie devs financially struggle... Yes, as an artist myself I am very well aware of the struggles any sort of passion project, or ambitious creative work, has. This has nothing to do with Valve.

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  • [–] -2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Most of those points including what you called a blatant lie are directly extracted from their privacy policy. And bad elsewhere never justifiés mediocre here isn't it.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    Yes, and I'm pretty sure you're presenting their policy in complete honesty and totally not bending it out of shape to fit your own agenda. There's more than one way to lie. :)

    But I digress. Let's hang Valve. Let's hang Valve for all the things they're not responsible for and don't have control over. Let's hang them for all the world's problems. I'm sure that is a very rational thing to do.

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  • [–] -3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Lol, you steam fanboy are the biggest jerker on the Internet. You hate video games, what you want is "convenience" because the only thing you can think of is your ass. Let's be clear, the very second Valve believe it can make more money by selling you buttplugs with Gabe's face it instead of videogame, they will do it. They have less then 100 employees and take 1/3 of revenue from studios with thousand of employees and people like you will make 30 minutes to jerk them while spitting on those who makes the games. Gamers are the stupidest, most easily manipulatable loser on the planet.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Ok, so, read what you just wrote, carefully. And I do mean actually read what you wrote, because I do hope you will realise how much like a parody you sound like.

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  • [–] -3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Lol fuck off "gamer". Any point to make? I'm sure you believe you love music but only listen to it via Spotify lol.

    I use to work in sound for videogames (did you ever had an actual job?) but the main reason I've quit his because of people like you who don't give a fuck about actual studios. See what's happening is that most talented people are leaving, the others are laid off and replace by generic AI bullshit that perfectly suits idiotic gamers. Meanwhile there's more money in video game then ever was, but you people are killing the industry because you keep sucking a business that takes a third of the revenu for basically nothing. You suck, capitalism suck, one day steam will fuck you all the ass because it's a soulless business and you will get what you deserve. Now go play something and watch Amongog or whaterver stupid youtuber you lioke.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Sure buddy. Sure. I guess the therapist is on vacation for new year?

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  • [–] -3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Are you even capable to bring one single point or can you only spit stupid things you've read in some youtube comments?

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    I did make points to someone else. Literally presented as points. Then you suddenly come along and just do nothing but rage like a drunk, depressed comedian and... Well, I'm not even going to put any effort into that. There's just no taking you seriously.

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