Valve: Developers Must Reward Sony's Open Approach
See Full ImageThere was a time when Sony and Valve really didn't like each other. But ever since Gabe Newell stepped onto Sony's stage at E3 2010, things have been different.
Now, according to a new Develop interview, Newell is asking other developers to reward Sony for its "open approach to online gaming." He says they deserve "valuable and lucrative PS3 content for integrating third-party online services within its online network." If you weren't already aware, Sony allowed Valve to integrate Steam in the PSN and the Valve boss believes Sony will continue to benefit from such moves.
"They’ve done the scary thing and I think it’s up to us as developers to make sure Sony and its customers are rewarded."
By the way, Steam is not available on Xbox Live and Nintendo doesn't allow third-party inclusion, either (with the Wii, at least). Newell mentioned that people will see the value of Steam on the PSN when the first piece of Portal 2 DLC arrives, and added:
"I think not only us but other developers are benefiting from Sony’s approach. We and other developers have to show we’re creating value to Sony for opening up its network. We have to show them it’s a smart business move."
Newell finished by saying it's "absolutely important" for Portal 2 and DUST 514 to be successes on the PS3 and at the end of the day, they need to "prove Sony is right." ...does anyone recall the nasty barbs Valve used to sling in Sony's direction? Quite the about-face, no?
Tags: valve, ps3, playstation 3, sony
8/19/2011 10:50:41 AM Ben Dutka
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Comments (47 posts)
LimitedVertigo
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:21:51 AM
Reply
5 up, 0 down
coverton341
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:44:27 AM
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BikerSaint
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:46:40 AM
Even if you buy the boxed version, EA is requiring you to log into their "Origin" just to play it(at least for PC).
And I believe LV prefers his games on PC whenever possible.
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Claire C
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:50:59 AM
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BikerSaint
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 12:00:23 PM
Yeah, but I can't remember if you have to stay on permanently, or if you can then log off once signed in.
Plus I'm not sure if it will be that way for consoles too, but I figure they're thinking is going to be "What's good for the Goose, is good for the Gander" too(although I hate that shite).
I did send that article to Ben but he didn't use it, so I'll go see if I can re-find it again....
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Claire C
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 12:07:39 PM
Last edited by Claire C on 8/19/2011 12:08:03 PM
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Geobaldi
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 12:51:05 PM
If it's anything like the Alpha was when I played it, you have to be logged in the entire time you play it.
And I'm not a fan of Origin either Limited. Steam is just so much easier and smoother to use. Though I did sorta like the stat tracking system for BF3 that Origin was using.
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LimitedVertigo
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 1:57:08 PM
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BikerSaint
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 2:37:50 PM
Dammit, I can't find the original article, but this article on the BF3 Origin DRM is close...
Battlefield 3 Will Require Origin
Andy Chalk 11 Aug 2011 5:58 pm
DICE says that even if you don't use Origin to buy Battlefield 3, you'll still have to connect to EA's online service in order to play the game.
The reaction to news that the upcoming military shooter Battlefield 3 will not be available on Steam was surprisingly strong. An awful lot of gamers are put off by the fact that if they want to buy the game online, they'll have to install Origin to do so.
But it turns out that Origin won't be mandatory just for those folks who like to shop online. "All versions" of the game will require a connection to Origin, according to DICE Global Battlefield Community Manager Daniel Matros, even those purchased at retail.
"Yes those "rumors" are true," Matros tweeted in response to a question about reports on Battlefield forums that disc-based versions of the game will still require Origin.
It's not really a huge shock, given the online-focused nature of the game, but another client running in the background, sucking up CPU cycles and RAM, is not something that's likely to make gamers very happy. A lot of people have declared, sincerely or otherwise, that if they can't buy Battlefield 3 on Steam they won't buy it at all, and I wouldn't be too surprised if this has a similar impact.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/112232-Battlefield-3-Will-Require-Origin
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WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 2:53:16 PM
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LegendaryWolfeh
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 8:08:24 PM
1 up, 2 down
Underdog15
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:22:21 AM
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Ben made a great point in his article. XBOX Live and Wii both would never allow this sort of freedom to 3rd parties. This tells me it must carry a degree of risk. I think it's wonderful that Sony are willing to take those risks to accommodate well known 3rd party developers.
Gabe is right... consumers and developers should be rewarding this type of behavior. Especially when this type of behavior will only strengthen the gaming industry positively.
7 up, 0 down
CrusaderForever
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:26:31 AM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 2:54:19 PM
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Temjin001
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:27:56 AM
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I think now that Valve is more of a service provider today their interests harmonize much more with Sony's online infastructure. Valves presence can co-exist with Sony. They have compatible values.
I think for Valve they're concerned about remaining viable.
Right now Gabe is trying to compel EA to come back to their PC Steam service. It makes since too, because when one of the four major content providers shuns support that can spell out bad news before long.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 8/19/2011 11:28:47 AM
2 up, 1 down
CrusaderForever
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:40:26 AM
1 up, 0 down
LimitedVertigo
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 1:59:17 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 2:56:22 PM
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Temjin001
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 4:27:53 PM
I like steam too. But I can see EA's logic. Why should they want Steam, an intercessory, collect profits from EAs content that competes with their own Origin service? I know Origin isn't as good as Steam, but that's not the point. PC gaming is too small a revenue stream for Valve to command power in broadening PC gaming appeal. EA would just rather maximize profits from titles with a more niche consumer base rather than circumvent those gains through Steam.
But Temjin! Impulse! Impulse has BF3!
Yes, but I say that's only for EAs self interested desire. It becomes advantageous for EA to leverage Gamestops marketing power to draw in more BF3 sales. Steam doesn't command any retail power. Think of it as effective Advertizing for EA and Impulse. Don't think things will always be so rosey between EA and Gamestop.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 8/19/2011 4:28:26 PM
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Geobaldi
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 4:48:23 PM
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Temjin001
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 5:11:47 PM
Sorry, but if you don't think that's niche, where Steam commands more power than the marketing power behind EA, hehe can't help u there ;)
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WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 5:23:31 PM
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 8/19/2011 5:23:43 PM
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Temjin001
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 5:28:55 PM
EDIT: and not one dime of that came from PC and Steam as Madden abandoned that format years ago ;)
Last edited by Temjin001 on 8/19/2011 5:43:32 PM
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Geobaldi
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 5:34:47 PM
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LimitedVertigo
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 5:48:01 PM
Steam generates a ton of revenue for gaming companies. It offers far more than what EA offers with Origin and it does it the right way. It's all about $$$ and EA is pissed that Steam requires DLC to be downloaded from STEAM rather than outside sources. I get it, EA wants to compete with Steam. I don't see EA bitching about Gamestop or Amazon or D2D or the countless other sources out there that sell EA products getting a cut from EA's game sales.
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Temjin001
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 9:05:05 PM
Do you forget how Steam gained momentum in the first place? Do you not realize that if a major publisher can be the sole distributor of their own products and services they do not have to lose money off the top for each of their IP sales?
You're placing the carriage in front of the horse if you either of you believe that it's Steam that drives the PC gaming market forward. EA's properties, like Battlefield, Mass Effect and NFS are far more valuable to the industry than Steam. Isn't it obvious that EA realizes that without Steam gamers are still going to get the content they're serving whether it's on Steam, or not? That however many sales EA thinks they're going to lose by closing their doors to Steam they'll gain it all back, and probably then some, by monetizing that $15 for themselves instead of letting Valve skim it off the top. All the while EA WILL grow their own Origin service by doing so.
Really, LV, are you going to deny Battlefield 3, 'cause I'm sure it has you salivating, just because you can't get it on Steam? The major publishers can make Steam obsolete if they so choose. If Activision jumps ship on Steam because EA grew their bottom line then Steam will quickly shrink into nothing more than a harbor-er of smaller scale publishers who need the larger representation.
The balance of power has shifted. The resources, so to speak, are now in different locations. There was a time when Valve controlled a lot of clout with their FPS offerings. Half Life, Team Fortress, L4D were hot commodities, most of which were well before the CoD's and BF's started stealing the show. Back then it was advantageous for a publisher to promote their similar genre offerings with a leading industry content provider that shared a similarly driven audience. Do you not see that Halo and CoD share a heavy presence on Xbox LIVE? They both co-exist and enlarge each others overall populace. MS lays down money for Activision's exclusivity because Halo has been incentive enough. Valve has sat on their hands over the last several years and they failed to make big traction with the console market. Portal 2 is nice but it isn't enough. THe market is too saturated. It's no longer in Activision's or EA's interests to rely on Steam as a means to propagate their own IPs. THe market has shifted, and Valve is trying to stay viable.
So turn off your PCDM (Personal Computer Defense Mechanism) and accept that Steam is on it's way out unless Valve can somehow create another IP that sets the gaming world afire that makes it lucrative for the bigger dogs to even lean on their reputation to help sell their own stuff. Because until then, Steam's world is only going to get smaller as the big 4 realize that they can be the sole providers of their own content and that they don't need Steam in the middle.
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LimitedVertigo
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 9:42:50 PM
You never did counter my point that EA doesn't complain or do anything about all the other sources their games are sold from that take $$ off the top but for some reason Steam is the enemy.
BTW with well over 30million users I laugh at your notion that Steam or Valve are in trouble. MW and other generic shooters like it come and go and years from now we will laugh at how anyone thought they were good games but Valve creates IPs that stand the test of time. I still find myself playing HL2, hell I still play CSS and it's almost a decade old. Which by the way is one of the most played games worldwide.
It's pretty unfair for you to label anyone that defends PC gaming with the tone you use while you seem to blindly follow anything the console companies throw your way. I don't care if the MW series sells 1billion copies, it doesn't ruin my style of gaming nor does it cause Steam to crumble.
You're being very narrow minded with your bashing of a platform it seems you don't even use or know much about.
3 up, 0 down
Temjin001
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 10:43:29 PM
You haven't dealt with me with the same level of integrity or contributed to this discussion with anything but surface level extrapolations based on anecdotal inferences that deny any real progression for this discussion. In fact, most of your statements have been very personalized within preference based motives.
I won't spin my wheels for your rebuttals that consist of subjective inferences like "tone" or your derisive attempts to pigeon hole my motives and values into a console centric stereotype that somehow infringes discontent for a content delivery service like Steam. I know PC gaming very well, and at this point, I cant care if you ever understand that. I withdrawal from any further debate with you, or any conversation that proceeds with an objective interpretation that requires a modicum of critical thinking, until the day comes that I believe you can discuss something logical without having your PCDM flashing red.
0 up, 3 down
LimitedVertigo
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:50:39 PM
It's all about gaming, I'll continue to have my fun and I'm sure you'll continue to have your fun. But I will always have this victory folded in my pillowcase.
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Temjin001
Saturday, August 20, 2011 @ 12:25:50 AM
Sorry, I had to ;)
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fatelementality
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:36:01 AM
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5 up, 1 down
coverton341
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:45:10 AM
4 up, 1 down
LimitedVertigo
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 2:04:01 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 2:57:04 PM
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LimitedVertigo
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 7:40:06 PM
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Temjin001
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:49:40 AM
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Portal 2 looks great. I look forward to it's continued support.
I hope it comes to Vita. *slip it in now* man, speaking of Vita, I was hoping PSXe would do a story on that shacknews Vita story. It's ram looks nice ;)
1 up, 1 down
Underdog15
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 2:35:06 PM
wait...
I see what you did there, you scoundrel, you!
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WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 2:58:02 PM
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gumbi
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:52:00 AM
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4 up, 0 down
BikerSaint
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:52:02 AM
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So 1 McDonald's "Spaceship Happy Meal" for him...
.......super-sized!
4 up, 2 down
leatherface
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 12:54:10 PM
1 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 2:59:53 PM
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Valve: "Naw man, we were just jealous."
Sony: "We've got an open platform, wanna come play with our toys?"
Valve: "Really!?"
4 up, 3 down
Ars ragnarok
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 4:10:04 PM
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2 up, 1 down
556pineapple
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:31:53 PM
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2 up, 1 down
___________
Saturday, August 20, 2011 @ 3:50:31 AM
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next words i wanna hear out of gabes mouth are half life 3 is releasing on......
until then lock yourself in your office and work until 5 in the morning till its done!
sorry, but its been WAY too long since we had our half life fix!
0 up, 2 down
Clamedeus
Reply
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 11:17:23 AM