Valve: If Steam Sales Didn't Work We Wouldn't Run Them

[gorfias]

My best buddy hates Steam due to a internet issue about 2 years ago. I've been bragging to him non-stop about this sale. I have become a fan. Origin has to deal with that.
Steam got some money from me that, without a sale, they wouldn't have gotten at all.
$2.49 for Dear Esther: I can't write it is worth more that, but if several million people buy it at that price, it is a modest hit and it really was something very different.
Metro 2033 for $4.99... new Metro is coming out soon. Why shouldn't they get a few bucks off the original that came out in 2010?
The only downside: I'm not as chomping at the bit for new IP. But maybe I'll enjoy 2033 so much, I just may pay full price for the new Metro where I might have otherwise passed on it.
It is called Marketing EA.

 

[orangeban]

The thing that EA doesn't seem to understand is, digital sales don't work like other sales. You don't have to sell games above a set price in order to cover the price of that copy. No, all digital sales are pure profit (I'm pretty sure? Even if there is a little loss, it's a very little loss I'm pretty sure) for that copy at least. So that means any money earned on a sale is a little money towards reaching that "break-even" point.

Snip

I can't decide which is my favourite, "Tic Tac Told" or "The Elder Tolds IV: Oblivious".

Although I'm also partial to "For Whom the Bell Told".

Nice work dude.

 

[Rednog]

I honestly lost faith in the steam community when Spec Ops hit like #5 of top sellers on the North American client. Amazon had it for $25 and no one bought it. People are head of heals for steam that they'll willingly pay more to buy it directly from them than save a handful of money.

I'm quite willing to pay an extra $8 to have the game on Steam instead of Amazon or Origin or wherever. I don't need or want multiple game services, and I don't want physical media cluttering up the place.

...It's a steam key from amazon.
There is no other gaming client or physical media.

 

[Kojiro ftt]

As if EA had an effin clue.

 

[snyper101]

I want to marry Valve and have it's children They are just the very best when it comes to video games

 

[Kojiro ftt]

I honestly lost faith in the steam community when Spec Ops hit like #5 of top sellers on the North American client. Amazon had it for $25 and no one bought it. People are head of heals for steam that they'll willingly pay more to buy it directly from them than save a handful of money.

I'm quite willing to pay an extra $8 to have the game on Steam instead of Amazon or Origin or wherever. I don't need or want multiple game services, and I don't want physical media cluttering up the place.

...It's a steam key from amazon.
There is no other gaming client or physical media.

People shop at their familiar and favored store. That's nothing new or particular to the Steam community. I have Amazon Prime, and so I often buy stuff at Amazon without even looking anywhere else. It involves customer loyalty, retention, and brand recognition. Age-old business concepts.

 

[Jingle Fett]

Limbo for $2.49 and Super Meat Boy for $3.74

Trololol, Dead Space 2 for $4.99

Steam has that right now...what do you have EA?

...

Where's that picture of the sassy black woman when you need her?

This one perhaps?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AajslFuPro

 

[weirdee]

Why do people complain about the tf2 hats? Regardless of the actual price, they are not actually related to gameplay, and you are in no way obligated to buy any hats ever.

 

[FalloutJack]

Valve, don't feed the troll.

Heh heh, you mistake something. They just bitchslapped the troll, in a manner that properly and legitimately left the troll whining and sniveling with impotent rage. You know, like all troll.

EA: "MWAAAH!! NO FAIR MAKING MONEY!"

*Slaps EA*

Steam: "Wassup, foo? Can't hear you over all the damn good business!"

Suck it, EA.

EDIT: Relevant...

 

[I.Muir]

EA is now putting marketed own prices on their games I've heard proving once again what their word is worth.

Valve is rolling in dough and EA doesn't like that, what else is there to know? End of story

 

[Aprilgold]

Why do people complain about the tf2 hats? Regardless of the actual price, they are not actually related to gameplay, and you are in no way obligated to buy any hats ever.

What the hell does this have to do with anything? This piece of news is about how the sales they do on games actually generates money.

_______________________

Reason... IN MY INDUSTRY! I DON'T THINK SO!

Other then that, the people who believed that sales hurt games without reason can be proven otherwise with reason.

 

[Master_Fubar23]

Valve, i am disappointed in you. You just don't feed the trolls. That is what they are; filthy, pathetic trolls. They would sooner burn down an orphanage than admit they are wrong. Sooner you get out of this pointless discussion, the better.

It's not about feeding the trolls, it's about kicking them in the balls. While the troll may not care, I'm sure Valve is feeling pretty good when every onlooker is going "oooo that had to hurt" and cheering Valve on.

 

[FalloutJack]

Valve, don't feed the troll.

Heh heh, you mistake something. They just bitchslapped the troll, in a manner that properly and legitimately left the troll whining and sniveling with impotent rage. You know, like all troll.

EA: "MWAAAH!! NO FAIR MAKING MONEY!"

*Slaps EA*

Steam: "Wassup, foo? Can't hear you over all the damn good business!"

Suck it, EA!

It would have been a lot more significant if EA hadn't already <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.379083-Origin-Cheapens-IP-With-Deep-Cutting-Sales>bitchslapped them selves some time ago.

There's a big different between self-abuse and having to take it from someone else. Do it to yourself on purpose and you're just having some laughs. Get beat up by another dude and you may consider your manhood impugned. But hey, sure I'll bite. EA whips itself because it's such a naughty boy and then Steam comes along with lemons, salt, and broken glass...and makes 'em start crawling. I'm not sure if that's insult to injury or injury to insult or insult to injury to insult again and a teabagging, but it's all there, brother.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

In short.

EA likes money, and thinks thing should be expensive so they get all the money. If a game is 60 dollars it must be 60 dollars. There is no compromise.

Valve also likes money, but so do developers and publishers. They may get less off these games during sales, but a lot of them are old games that have not had many salse in a long time to begin with. Valve figures out if they put them on sale for a limited time, it encourages people to buy them if on impulse alone, not only generating revenu for Valve but for the developers of these games.

Also, according to their research, a 75% off sale on steam increases sales by around 3000%. So putting things on sale actually makes you more money.

I have to state that figure might be wrong from what I've heard. PROFITS go up around 3000% for some games. They aren't just selling 30x the games, they are making 30x the money they were at the higher price. Depending on the sale, that's a lot more than just 30x sales.

I may be wrong, I haven't read the article for a while, I must confess. The point is though, is that you're doing more than just equalising with volume sales.

 

[sniddy_v1legacy]

I gotta agree - I brought portal 2 on impulse, grimlock same....I even brought portal 1 while I was there buying portal 2 simply to have it on steam

Sales work they generate good will and having all my games in one place = awesome

 

[bigfatcarp93]

Valve > Chocolate > Various > Nazism > EA.

Since day 1, Valve has managed to simultaneously make the fans happy AND make a huge profit. And EA really has the stones to try and call them out on their business practices? Wow.

 

[MonkeyPunch]

Read: "EA crying because they are also forced to sell their games at a *"discount" and aren't happy that they aren't making more munniez"
*considering they are selling the downloadable games too expensive from the get-go it's even more ridiculous that they are whining.

EA higher-ups are such two-faced, insincere, nickel and dimming scum.

 

[Kargathia]

And I really do think EA is correct on this point.

Except that apparently - if we are to trust Valve - it just doesn't work that way. He specifically mentioned it not cannibalizing sales, and quite frankly I'm inclined to believe him; he's got data, as opposed to the wild conjecture wielded by everyone else blathering about it.

 

[Blade_125]

"Valve: If Steam Sales Didn't Work We Wouldn't Run Them"

Capitalism in a nut shell.

EA needs to stop crying. They took the same classes the valve employees did. They know how the market works, so they need to stop complaining that they can't fit their wallet in their pocket because it's too full of $100 bills and that their diamond shoes are too tight.

 

[JasonKaotic]

...Wait. EA criticized Valve's business practices? That... takes a special kind of balls I don't think anyone has ever witnessed before...