First publisher to use Steam.

[^Ben]

Software publisher Strategy First will be the first to utilize Valve's content distribution platform Steam in a multi-title deal.
The first game to be released will be S.C.S.: Dangerous Waters, a naval simulation game that will be ready later this month. Currently, Steam boasts 6 million users.

“Throughout the years, Strategy First has delivered great games from many developers while navigating the evolution of genres, technology, and distribution mechanisms--whether it’s moving from 2D to 3D, or from floppy to Steam," said Strategy First product manager Emanuel Wall.

Strategy First's past titles include Disciples II, Star Fury and Galactic Civilizations. Future titles to be released via Steam are yet to be announced.

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1831&Itemid=2

 

[DrDevin]

Sweet. I think steam might have to be changed (the UI) if too many more games are released through it.

Steam has been gathering developers faster then I expected, time to go buy me some stocks in valve!

 

[Dekstar]

What's in it for Strategy First? I mean I don't know how a publisher can benefit from something that aims to get rid of publishers for small companies.

 

[Beerdude26]

What's in it for Strategy First? I mean I don't know how a publisher can benefit from something that aims to get rid of publishers for small companies.

They will probably still sell retail boxes.

 

[Asuka]

Very cool stuff. 6 mill users? Holy shit.

 

[mortiz]

I'm sure publishers can find their own little sector in the Digital Distribution market. Up bandwidth is very expensive, publishers might start offering poorer developers bandwidth on their own proprietary digital distribution servers. For instance if someone like EA started their own Digital Distribution service you can bet they'd get a large user base, your game is going to sell better over software that has a large user base. Plus developers can pay publishers for enhanced advertising. However, it's no where near as expensive as boxing your game and shipping it out to retailers so there is some choice there for smaller developers.

STEAM looks like it has a bright future though, Digital Distribution is the way to go and VALVe was the first major development house to seriously invest in it. I doubt VALVe tries to take a big a chunk out of sales over STEAM than your average publisher will take out of the selling of boxed versions.

 

[63]

Steam has been gathering developers faster then I expected, time to go buy me some stocks in valve!

Valve is private

 

[CommandoSR]

For instance if someone like EA started their own Digital Distribution service you can bet they'd get a large user base, your game is going to sell better over software that has a large user base.

EA is already providing downloadable versions of games, but the program is nowhere good as Steam. Buggy and insecure (It's from EA, after all).
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=EA+Downloader

Valve is private

If it wasn't, Valve would have been annihilated by giants such as EA (surprise, surprise) or Vivendi ages ago.

 

[Insano]

If it wasn't, Valve would have been annihilated by giants such as EA (surprise, surprise) or Vivendi ages ago.

True, look at how EA tries to buy Ubisoft.

But I'd like to have a stock of Valve, just to have that feeling of being part of Valve

 

[Veotax]

I hope this means that the bastards at Strategy First will be paying the thousands of Dollars in royalties that they owe to Introversion and other companies that they owed when they filed for bankruptcy now. If they don’t and then they put Uplink: Hacker Elite on Steam, then that is really taking the piss

Here is the story on the royalties and bankruptcy thing

EDIT: Make that tens of thousands of dollars in royalties

 

[DigiQ8]

Steam is growing up pretty fast..
good thing

 

[Epsi]

Yeh, Steam really seems to be picking up... well... steam.

The number of third parties that have announced products to be released over Steam recently is just astonishing, and it'll only continue.

This can only be a good thing - the more people who are selling over Steam, the more profit the Steam team brings into Valve, the bigger the Steam team will get, which means faster, more frequent updates and a higher-quality product all round.

 

[Apocalypse89]

I also doubt that it's a coincidence that all the companies signing up for Steam are small-scale, independent developers. I can't help but sense a return to the old era of gaming, when groups of computer nerds gathered in garages were able to produce games just as good and famous as any big-budget corporate production.

Good luck to Valve and all those involved with Steam.

 

[DrDevin]

I also doubt that it's a coincidence that all the companies signing up for Steam are small-scale, independent developers. I can't help but sense a return to the old era of gaming, when groups of computer nerds gathered in garages were able to produce games just as good and famous as any big-budget corporate production.

Good luck to Valve and all those involved with Steam.

QFT and it sure beats $60+ for a new console game.

 

[Jammydodger]

Good stuff, would be good if more started to use this I think.