Retail threatens Steam ban

[JimboUK]

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/41746/Retail-threatens-Steam-ban

 

‘We will refuse to sell Steam games’ blast High Street giants; Digital distributors losing customers to giant rival

 

continues..... http://www.mcvuk.com/news/41746/Retail-threatens-Steam-ban

 

I can't help laughing at this, in the UK game stores have relegated PC games to single shelf at the back of the store. Now PC gaming is on the up again they attack the people who filled the void they themselves created.

[ub3rman123]

Great, one more thing to kill the PC gaming business.

[ginnyfizz]

True, if you go in any large supermarket it's "Spot the PC game...oh sorry, there aren't any". My loathing of Steam grows by the minute, however I can still see the hypocrisy of the retailers. Mind you, I do tend to buy my games from Amazon, only rarely from an actual shop like GAME, although I have done in the past (see another thread for my tactics when they have displeased me). While Amazon and other etailers are running such a huge selection of games, I can't see PC gaming being killed.

 

Still think Steam are over-rated, and unlike a retail shop, you can't make a public spectacle of them in trying to get your money back (see other thread...).

[bben46]

Explain to me exactly how a retail shop banning Steam enabled games is going to hurt and not help Steam? If you cannot get the game in the shop, where else are you going to get it? :rolleyes:

 

Hint: S***M :whistling:

[Chaosblade02]

If the retailers quit selling PC games that are steam only, Steam sales might go up some, but it will also just encourage more people to pirate the games. So the manufacturers will lose money if this happens. Steam is mainly used for a DRM, but its not slowing pirates down at all, they crack steam releases within 1-2 days of release, every time. Steam is basically the DRM Gestapo, and it only effects people who who buy the games, not the pirates.

[JimboUK]

Explain to me exactly how a retail shop banning Steam enabled games is going to hurt and not help Steam? If you cannot get the game in the shop, where else are you going to get it? :rolleyes:

 

Hint: S***M :whistling:

 

Exactly, it no wonder the bricks and mortar stores are in the trouble they're in with people this stupid running them.

 

 

If the retailers quit selling PC games that are steam only, Steam sales might go up some, but it will also just encourage more people to pirate the games. So the manufacturers will lose money if this happens. Steam is mainly used for a DRM, but its not slowing pirates down at all, they crack steam releases within 1-2 days of release, every time. Steam is basically the DRM Gestapo, and it only effects people who who buy the games, not the pirates.

 

Cracks for Steam games tend to be post release, cracks for physical media can be well before release. That initial day or so can make a huge difference to developers. Anyway this is complaining from high street stores who don't stock much anyway, online retailers don't seem too concerned.

[Gracinfields]

I heared of this before with Gamestop cutting the sales of games VIA steam, the bad thing is that due to the larger deman on console games and the sheer number of games they cut back on the number of PC games in stock. Heck one of the malls that I vist to buy my games has two game stops (one was formerly Electronics botique (sp?)) and only one of those stores has PC games and they only have a couple of those rolling center isles with PC games on it. Even worse they even have another Store just a mile up the road and that place only has a small section on a wall for PC games. Consoles are not the main root of the issue, ATM there are 3 major consoles on the market PS3, XBox360, and the Wii. This means duplicate titles for each system but to make things worse both the PS3 and Xbox system seem to have a large quanity of games come out for them as well. Most of these are pretty low quality games that most people will either buy out of wanting just another game or just because the trailer looked good. Then later this game will just sit there collecting dust after one play though. So Console really have let QA go out the window in the rush to say who's system has more games on it.

[Marthos]

Sour grapes anyone ?

 

 

It seems that for quite some time the high street game retailers have neglected the PC market, you've all walked into a gaming shop at some time or another and thought "where the hell have all the PC games gone ?".

 

Retailers have focused on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP etc because they've thought that that was where the money was and neglected the PC gamers, so there was hole in the market and Steam and other digital retailers have filled it, now that these digital retailers can be seen to be doing rather well and making large amounts of money, the retailers are up in arms about it when they really only have them selves to blame.

 

I'm no lover of these digital retailers and still prefer to walk into a game shop and come out with a box with a shiny disc in it, partly for the reasons Ginny gives in an earlier post and partly because its the feeling of having bought something tangable rather than an invisable bunch of noughts and ones on my harddrive.

 

But if high street relailers want my money they're going to have to (a) stock the games, (b) price them very competatively, © know what they're talking about when you ask them a question. In other words, give the sort of service that will bring them customers, boycotting game titles will do them no favours at all.

[Jagermh]

These companies dont care about us at all, theyre out there do take our money.

[Chaosblade02]

 

Cracks for Steam games tend to be post release, cracks for physical media can be well before release. That initial day or so can make a huge difference to developers. Anyway this is complaining from high street stores who don't stock much anyway, online retailers don't seem too concerned.

 

The only people that buy games within the first day or 2 are the fanboy following, most people wait and see some reviews first before they dump money in a game, just for its name. My point is piracy within the first day or 2 of release still cuts out of the most substantial part of the potential sales of a game. So in the end, for all the trouble they are putting on the consumers who buy these games, it is unjustifiable in my book, and I won't buy ANY more Steam games. They aren't really doing a whole lot to stop piracy, and they really can't and them trying just makes them look like the gamer Gestapo to anyone to buys these games, likes the games, but hates Steam. I don't pirate games, but lots of people who feel the same way I do, end up just pirating and not paying.