SteamOS Will Not Have Exclusive Games

[Steven Bogos]

SteamOS Will Not Have Exclusive Games

Valve confirms that it will not be making games that require the use of SteamOS or a Steam Machine.

Valve's big reveal of Steam Machines [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/128065-Valve-Reveals-SteamOS] came with a lot more questions than answers. Questions like, where the heck is Half-Life 3, and, will there be SteamOS exclusive games? After dodging the first question (as always), Valve has confirmed that there will not be any SteamOS exclusive games, or any games that require the use of a Steam Machine.

Speaking to IGN [http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/04/valve-will-not-make-exclusive-games-for-steamos], Valve's Greg Coomer said, "you won't see an exclusive killer app for SteamOS from us. We're not going to be doing that kind of thing." So you can breathe easy about Valve using the third installment of a certain FPS (Left 4 Dead 3, right?) as an exclusive to drive up the usage of its proprietary OS.

Valve's Anna Sweet also confirmed that this rule applied not only to first-party Valve games, but anything from third-party developers as well. "Whenever we talk to third-party partners, we encourage them to put their games in as many places as possible, including not on our platforms," she said. "Because we think that customers are everywhere, and they want to put their games wherever customers are. That would go against our whole philosophy, to launch something that's exclusive to SteamOS or Steam machines."

"We believe that, in maybe five years from now, folks will find it a quite antiquated notion that you should assume that when you change devices or platforms, that you lose all of your other games and friends," Coomer added.

He did, however, concede that small, independent studios who only have the resources to focus on one platform may inevitably make games that only run on SteamOS, "but that's a very different thing."

Source: IGN [http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/04/valve-will-not-make-exclusive-games-for-steamos]

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[Steve the Pocket]

And this is a perfect example of why Valve is the Good Guy Greg of the industry. Even making a game exclusive to a free OS that anyone can download and install on the computer they already have (assuming they have enough free hard drive space) is considered a dick move by their standards. And why not? Once you make your game, you want people to be able to play it, so you should make it playable on whatever they happen to have instead of making them jump through hoops they might decide aren't worth it. Why 90% of the industry can't wrap their heads around this idea is beyond my understanding.

 

[lacktheknack]

Of course they aren't. Unless they're doing some really terrifying things to the platform, anything SteamOS can run, any other Linux distro can as well.

Also, no matter how well SteamOS does, the bulk of their users will still be Windows, so...

 

[MrHide-Patten]

I can hear it now.

"Sony/MS have exclusive games! they are corporate pigs!"

"Valve has no exclusives, lol their console sucks."

I swear, its getting easier and easier to predict this kind of stuff.

You called it, although I think it's done for sake of irony. I don't know?!

 

[Zeckt]

No exclusives...so absolutely fuck all reason to get it.

I think you failed to see the point in that valve is not as petty as sony and microsoft that they would only release their games to the steam box so you don't feel forced to buy it. They just don't care about the console rivalry.

 

[Pirate Of PC Master race]

"Valve using the third installment"?

Madness.

 

[Jadak]

Is this even something people were actually asking?

At the very least it'd be no worse than Linux exclusive, and even that is doubtful given Valves primary user base being Windows users.

 

[Psychobabble]

Yeah but will there be any games written that will natively run on the Steam OS, because if not I have no reason to give a shit about it as I could give a toss about playing my computer games in my living room.

 

[lacktheknack]

No exclusives...so absolutely fuck all reason to get it.

You mean, no reason for YOU to get it.

If you don't care about shifting focus from Windows to Linux, that's fine. Stick with Windows. I, however, cannot WAIT to ditch Windows permanently, and having a really major company toss their hat into the Linux ring is exactly what the doctor ordered.

EDIT: A lot of people seem to completely misunderstand what a "Steam Machine" even is. -__-

 

[Sarge034]

I kindda figured Valve would shy away from exclusives, but I also know that the SteamOS will not have any of the other exclusive titles either. So what is the point of buying one? While I am a huge proponent of the "one console future" we aren't there yet. If your product does not offer something unique then there is no reason to buy it. It's kinnda sad to know the "one console future" will be doomed to fail by its' own merits. *Sigh*

 

[Infernal Lawyer]

I can hear it now.

"Sony/MS have exclusive games! they are corporate pigs!"

"Valve has no exclusives, lol their console sucks."

I swear, its getting easier and easier to predict this kind of stuff.

No exclusives...so absolutely fuck all reason to get it.

OT: Fine with me. Let's have a system that survives on actually being any good rather than hiding exclusive content behind a paywall... Oh wait, it's free anyway. So what would be the point, then? Isn't that normally the reason to do that, to get some extra cash from people who want a certain killer app?

 

[Vigormortis]

EDIT: A lot of people seem to completely misunderstand what a "Steam Machine" even is. -__-

Because it's easier to just glance at taglines or article headlines, make assumptions based on a lack of knowledge and irrational biases, and make brash judgements from those assumptions.

If the gaming community and gaming forums have showed me anything in recent years it's this:
That the vast majority of gamers and posters have no interest in rationality and truth, and would rather just ***** and moan like little children who simply don't understand half of the things they're complaining about.

You mean, no reason for YOU to get it.

If you don't care about shifting focus from Windows to Linux, that's fine. Stick with Windows. I, however, cannot WAIT to ditch Windows permanently, and having a really major company toss their hat into the Linux ring is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Me neither. I still plan to use Windows for certain programs. Namely productivity software and possibly media creation/editing. However, if SteamOS delivers what's been promised, I can assure you ALL of my gaming will be shifted to Linux.[footnote]Save, of course, for those titles that either aren't on Steam or can't be easily ported to or modded for Linux.[/footnote]

 

[Vigormortis]

You know what really gets me? What really made me laugh from the comments made by the design team at Valve?

It was this quote from Anna Sweet - "Whenever we talk to third-party partners, we encourage them to put their games in as many places as possible, including not on our platforms."

Yep. Valve is totally aiming to create a monopoly within PC gaming....by telling developers to not put their games on Steam.

 

[Sarge034]

Its a PC that can also be a console. It has every PC exclusive while also allowing console-like play.

If you don't want to buy one, just download the OS and put it on your PC. Its free.

I already own a pc and I already own several consoles. So the question remains. Why would I buy a steam machine or, now because people are brining up the OS "is free" card, even take the time to download the OS to my computer? It provides nothing new to the market, so unless you are chomping at the bit to transfer everything you can to Linux or need to buy everything Valve because... Valve(?) then there is no reason to bother with it. Then add on the fact that all MS, Sony, and Nintendo exclusives will be held from it as well and you see that nothing has changed.

Also, I'm wondering what else the OS will do when you install it your computer. Nothing is free, so I could see some sort of data mining going on... but I don't worship Valve either so perhaps I'm "missing the point".

 

[Vigormortis]

Don't worry. The moment some good frameworks pop up and developers will see the advantages of creating games for Linux instead of that Windows crap, they might just as well create SteamOS exlusives.

What makes me sad is the fact it also means more Steam-only games.

Not necessarily. While SteamOS will natively run Steam for much of the users gaming needs, it's still simply a Linux distro at it's core. Only, of course, with all the optimization and driver support Valve and others have been working on for the past few years.

So, as long as a developer or publisher decides to make a Linux port of a game, it'll run swimmingly on SteamOS without actually having to be on Steam.

'Course, the added bonuses of having access to the framework and feature-sets present in Steam, coupled with the (promised) stability and functionality of the new OS, might be a hard thing for some devs to refuse.