Valve's Gabe Newell Says Piracy Is a Service Problem

[SnakeoilSage]

He's got a valid point.

But he still isn't telling us when HL3 is coming out, so it's time to BURN HIM AT THE STAKE!

 

[Zeetchmen]

Isn't it common knowledge now Gabe ate HL:3 and it's Dev team?

 

[Rednog]

A bit sad to hear Gabe make this kind of claim when Steam has one of the worst customer service systems out of all the digital retailers.
Seriously Steam is how big, has how many users, and rakes in how much money? And yet it only has an e-mail support system that at its best takes a full 24-48 hours per response to a problem.

How is this an acceptable service that is good for the customers?

And even then what about other companies actually price matching while steam doesn't?
And tack on steam's increasing monopolistic actions of offering Steam Exclusive rewards to games to basically make people buy directly from them and no one else.

 

[Awexsome]

I agree with his point that making the retail version more appealing rather than being focused making the pirated version less is a better strategy, but I believe the main problem is still that people are greedy self-centered jerks that want everything for free.

If it was mostly about just inferior service than piracy on the consoles would be non-existant.

Granted that higher convenience might be one of the major reasons why piracy is much of a bigger deal on the PC.

 

[MaxwellEdison]

"...and owner of the most pervasive online gaming PORTAL for the PC platform..."
Newell: Thinking with portals.


Anyways, nice to here a well-reasoned opinion on piracy from the industry, and GOD DAMN YOU NEWELL, WHERE IS OUR HALF LIFE 3?!

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Who knew that people when presented with the option of waiting and paying for an inferior product or getting a superior product for free will choose to get the superior product for free. When these developers release games with things like region locks, draconian DRM, and god knows what else that ends up making the paid version inferior to the pirated version they are are only encouraging people to choose the pirated copy as it's both a better overall version and it's free to boot.

True say.

Consumers want value for money, but developers (at the publishers insistence) are shackling and crippling their creations with these ludicrous restrictive measures.

They devalue their own product and then moan when people don't want to purchase it...

F***ing oath. That's why I tend to get games well after they've dropped in price, especially if they're known for pulling stunts like that.

OT: I agree wholeheartedly, but once again, publishers aren't going to listen since most of them have a crippling fear of money and success. And before anyone quotes me talking about Activision (or Valve, or your other favourite publisher/developer), I said "most".

 

[Frizzle]

He definitely has the right idea overall, though some of the sounds a little hypocritical.

Steam, after all, is essentially a region-locked service.

Something which has been discovered more than a few times by people that have purchased things while in a different region, and then found they don't work when they try and play them at home.

I personally am quite uncertain about my steam games collection;

I've moved from country to country quite often. Now, as it happens my entire steam library comes from one country...

But that raises the obvious question; What will happen if I move again? Is the EU one region? Or if I move say, back to the Netherlands (or Germany, which might happen if some of my stranger plans become a reality), or even back to Australia...

Will my games still work?

I mean, it's all well and good to say these kinds of things, but the service steam provides is not without issues, and some of them directly contradict what Gabe Newell is saying.

You can actually call (or write, i forget which I did) to their customer service explaining your situation, and you'll be able to play the games. I lived in Zambia, Macedonia, and Guatemala, and have purchased games in all 3 countries through steam. I think something go messed up when I went to Macedonia, but I hit them up and it was all sorted out in a day. I'm now back in the U.S. and have had no problems playing any games that I load up.

 

[MasterSplinter]

Misleading title if there ever was one.

 

[Robert Ewing]

Don't insult Gabe, he will delay half life again.

 

[Metalrocks]

thats why valve will always be my favorite company. this guy understands the world, customers and the market.

but bring out episode 3 already damn it

 

[Elyxard]

I still don't understand region locking. Publishers are out there willingly decreasing the available market that can buy from them? Even from an idiot marketing standpoint that makes no sense. A dollar is a dollar no matter where it comes from (well, sorta).

Well, good on Valve for being the only sane videogame company out there. I really wish the industry weren't dominated by business men and nothing else.

 

[Antari]

It's good to see there is atleast one big gun in the industry who has a good idea of whats going on. Long Live Gabe!

 

[Glerken]

big words from the founder of the DRM that prevents me from playing many of my legaly bought games whenever i travel 100 miles west to germany.

fuck steam, seriously.

It's a publisher that decides if a game is region locked, not Steam.

"If a pirate offers a product anywhere in the world, 24 x 7, purchasable from the convenience of your personal computer, and the legal provider says the product is region-locked, will come to your country 3 months after the US release, and can only be purchased at a brick and mortar store, then the pirate's service is more valuable."

He's saying that piracy would go down if games weren't region locked.
Your problem is with a game's publisher, not steam.

 

[Aidinthel]

I still don't understand region locking. Publishers are out there willingly decreasing the available market that can buy from them?

It may be a legal thing, with individual distributors for each region who aren't allowed to take anyone else's market. Or maybe they want to force people outside the U.S. to pay higher prices rather than importing.

OT: I've heard much the same thing said by others in the past. Heck, I've said much the same thing in the past. Glad to see at least one major company has their head on straight.

 

[Bishop99999999]

"What do you mean 'when does Half-Life 3 come out?' It's been out for six months! Shoot, we've slashed the price in half because no one is buying it! I mean, I thought people were looking forward to it...We put a lot of time and whole of money into it. Heck, we even de-funded our marketing department to...OH SWEET JESUS WE FORGOT TO TELL ANYONE!"

 

[Metalrocks]

I still don't understand region locking. Publishers are out there willingly decreasing the available market that can buy from them? Even from an idiot marketing standpoint that makes no sense. A dollar is a dollar no matter where it comes from (well, sorta).

Well, good on Valve for being the only sane videogame company out there. I really wish the industry weren't dominated by business men and nothing else.

some countries dont allow some games for what ever reason. the latest AvP game is not available for download on steam in hong kong, but you can buy the retail version without any hassle in a store.

maybe the price is higher then the retail version. games are so much cheaper in hong kong then even on steam. for example, the retail version of MW3 cost 40$, wile steam asks you for 60$. and yes, it is the original version imported from the US.
AC brotherhood cost me less then 30$ and the retail version was imported from australia.

 

[Triality]

And the award for Un-news of the week goes to: Escapist.

That was very deceptive. If the only comment on a topic is "not yet" or "I don't know" then there is no news. You could have done us the courtesy of not mentioning it. That would have been classy.

 

[tehweave]

I've nearly lost all hope for the Half Life series. Playing Portal 2, L4D2, TF2, and using Steam. I could care less about HL at this point.