Valve is quite likely one of the most profitable gaming studios in the world. How much of that they acctually see is arguable, but for a company to make one game and sit for six years while various versions and modifications of that game sell constantly, is pretty much unheard of in the gaming industry. Realisticly it is like winning the lotterly, and with the onsetting release of HL2 with a magor updated of the worlds favorites, Counter-Strike, which they are secretly planning to distribute almost solely via steam, they would really have to screw up huge to lose thier position of infinate power. All becuase of a lucky break, and a game that happened to get a mod that dominated the world.
Personally, I don't really mind who gets my money when I buy the game over Steam. What motivates me is being able to buy a product without packaging and traditional delivery costs, which is better for the environment.
As for the dispute, it sounds a bit like George Michael's spat with Sony Records, something most people can sympathise with. Valve are perhaps just trying to escape an agreement they see as being no longer profitable for them. Remember, around 2000, most people still used dialup.
I reckon valve is gonna be like Umberella <!--emo&:0--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->The publishers pay for the whole goddamn pie! They're the ones who pay the salaries of the developers! They fund the games, they get the games to market. When you read about games these days having budgets on par with films, it's the publishers who foot the bill. They've got every right to a share in the profits.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They are a nessecary evil, doesn't mean I have to like the bastards. They pay for the pie but they don't MAKE it, they deserve to get payed back what they are owed + interest, not 10 times what they are owed.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Unless you believe that they should have to pour money into a game, then get nothing in return...? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They don't actually do the work they are just buying and selling stuff, VALVe gets ~2.5 times as much from steam sales than they do from sales via their publisher. They are the ones making the games, the more money VALVe has the less draconian deals they have to enter into which is good for everyone except the publishers.
<!--QuoteBegin-Quaunaut+Sep 21 2004, 06:30 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Quaunaut @ Sep 21 2004, 06:30 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->[...]WITH A GOOD CHUNK OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION PLAYING IT AT ANYTIME[...]<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Hmm, "good chunk". Current players: 73296 World population: Roughly six milliard, or 6,000,000,000 Percentage of world population playing HL (roughly): 0.001% Yeah, good chunk all right. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-lolfighter+Sep 21 2004, 09:24 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (lolfighter @ Sep 21 2004, 09:24 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-Quaunaut+Sep 21 2004, 06:30 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Quaunaut @ Sep 21 2004, 06:30 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->[...]WITH A GOOD CHUNK OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION PLAYING IT AT ANYTIME[...]<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Hmm, "good chunk". Current players: 73296 World population: Roughly six milliard, or 6,000,000,000 Percentage of world population playing HL (roughly): 0.001% Yeah, good chunk all right. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Just for reference purposes: Average unique users per month: 1,609,837
...How's that for a "good chunk"? That's more than some countries.
[edit: it appears it was "good chunk" not significant chunk...both of which are subjective anyway - so; quoting nazism!] [edit2: I can't type well today <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> ]
Valve also just launched a <a href='http://steampowered.com/?area=getHalf-Life2' target='_blank'>new page</a> to actually promote buying through steam which I think is pretty hilarious seeing this is one of the main issues of the lawsuit.
The difficult thing Vivendi has to do concerning Valve's Steam technology is prove that Valve intended all along to use Steam to circumvent retail sales. For all we know, Steam, in 2001, may have been intended as the next step from WON, a program that allowed useability and better community interaction (through friends). Valve can say "at the point of those interviews, our intent was to use steam as the next step up from WON, and the decision was also made to use steam as an experimental platform for game distribution only."
Steam and Source practically guarantee that Valve's products, as well as the community surrounding those products, will continue to grow and expand far beyond Counter Strike. Valve is the Goose That Lays Golden Eggs of the game creation world, and the Steam/Source eggs are pretty much their finest ever. Vivendi, a company who's failing fast, knows if it doesn't keep a hold on Valve that it is doomed.
I don't mind though. What's happening in the Game creation community is what is happening to the Music creation community. The big companies strangling artists/production studios are losing to the internet. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Comments
As for the dispute, it sounds a bit like George Michael's spat with Sony Records, something most people can sympathise with. Valve are perhaps just trying to escape an agreement they see as being no longer profitable for them. Remember, around 2000, most people still used dialup.
hehehe anyone think that there's a hidden joke in them saying that it was "half-truths"?
6 years on and you can still find copies of their game in absolutely any game store worth its salt. That is an acheivement.
They are a nessecary evil, doesn't mean I have to like the bastards. They pay for the pie but they don't MAKE it, they deserve to get payed back what they are owed + interest, not 10 times what they are owed.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Unless you believe that they should have to pour money into a game, then get nothing in return...?
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
They don't actually do the work they are just buying and selling stuff, VALVe gets ~2.5 times as much from steam sales than they do from sales via their publisher. They are the ones making the games, the more money VALVe has the less draconian deals they have to enter into which is good for everyone except the publishers.
That's not Doug Lambardi. He's actually had some interviews put up online. An average sized guy.
Gabe Newell is who you're thinking of. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/confused-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Hmm, "good chunk".
Current players: 73296
World population: Roughly six milliard, or 6,000,000,000
Percentage of world population playing HL (roughly): 0.001%
Yeah, good chunk all right. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Hmm, "good chunk".
Current players: 73296
World population: Roughly six milliard, or 6,000,000,000
Percentage of world population playing HL (roughly): 0.001%
Yeah, good chunk all right. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Just for reference purposes:
Average unique users per month: 1,609,837
...How's that for a "good chunk"? That's more than some countries.
[edit: it appears it was "good chunk" not significant chunk...both of which are subjective anyway - so; quoting nazism!]
[edit2: I can't type well today <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--> ]
Valve also just launched a <a href='http://steampowered.com/?area=getHalf-Life2' target='_blank'>new page</a> to actually promote buying through steam which I think is pretty hilarious seeing this is one of the main issues of the lawsuit.
Steam and Source practically guarantee that Valve's products, as well as the community surrounding those products, will continue to grow and expand far beyond Counter Strike. Valve is the Goose That Lays Golden Eggs of the game creation world, and the Steam/Source eggs are pretty much their finest ever. Vivendi, a company who's failing fast, knows if it doesn't keep a hold on Valve that it is doomed.
I don't mind though. What's happening in the Game creation community is what is happening to the Music creation community. The big companies strangling artists/production studios are losing to the internet. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Valve FTW!