Steam Subscriptions?

[Tyrsenus]

This is interesting:

"Newell changed the topic a bit with a suggestion of another way to even out cash flow--200,000 subscribers paying $5 a month would give Valve enough money to produce four hours' worth of Half-Life 2 gameplay per month. He thought over this calculation for a moment and concluded: "Achievable!" Considering that Valve has millions of loyal customers, if anything, Newell was too conservative. The model has a lot of potential, though it doesn't directly monetize online play. "

http://www.gamespot.com/all/news/news_6103779.html

I apologize if this has been posted before.

Now don't read too far into this. This doesn't mean Vavle is going to start charging for Steam. It's just an option for them.

According to this estimate, Valve could rake in $12 million per year from subscriptions alone (anyone know their current revenue?), but that's assuming everyone wants to pay $5 a month.

I personally don't like this. If you pay $5 a month to use Steam, and you don't want new content, why should you pay $5? I think people should go to Wal-Mart , pick out what they want from the shelf, pay at the register and play the game as much as they want without having to ever spend another penny. If someone wants new content, go buy an add-on.

 

[Shuzer]

They already said long ago that they will have the option to pay a monthly fee for a Steam subscription. Where you have been for the past year, under a rock?

 

[Tyrsenus]

This came out today, so it's new to me.

 

[jpr6130]

It's no secret that valve will have a subscription option once HL2 is released or a little later as an option to paying out right for a product. For the fee you get every game that Valve distributes through steam.

 

[Shuzer]

Well, that's been part of the plan since around the time HL2 was announced. It's not exactly new information. Although, that quote from Gabe clearly is. :cheers:

 

[Tyrsenus]

Here's a little math for you all:

Valve currently has 9 games available through Steam. Its been 6 years (?) since HL1 was released. If you had been paying $5 a month for 6 years, you would have paid:

$5/month * 12 months/year * 6 years = $360.

$360/9 games available for Steam = $40

$40 is the equivalent price you would pay for a game through Steam having a subscription... but that would also have put

$360 * 200,000 users = $72 million into Valve's pocket over the last 6 years. If they had that kinda money, then HL2 would have come out a year ago.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

This came out today, so it's new to me.

think of the Steam subcription option as renting a game or games from the local video store.

u pay the $5.. or 10.. whatever the price is.. use any of the content available under that subscription for a month.. decide if the games are worth it and either purchase the retail version or look elsewhere.

this option is good for times where u think a game is good.. so u go out and buy it.. then u play through some of it and find that the game really just sucked or something... and wasn't worth that retail purchase.

does that make things more clear?

 

[Gossoon]

And anyway, Steam subscriptions are not for access to online play, they're for access to the actual games. If you own the game then you don't pay to play. Simple.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

And anyway, Steam subscriptions are not for access to online play, they're for access to the actual games. If you own the game then you don't pay to play. Simple.

yeah that too..
i don't understand why pple think they would be charged Steam subscriptions for games they already own? weird.

 

[Epsi]

Did anyone else read that and think how attractive a Steam subscription would be if they could pump out 4 hours of Half-Life 2 level gameplay a month?

$5 is about £2.75, and that's about how much it costs to go see a movie,or less, even after VAT. Sounds like a good deal to me.