MCV spoke recently with Valve's Director of Business Development, Jason Holtman. Among the topics discussed, Holtman focused on Steam's impact on the gaming industry and its role in laying the framework for digital distribution in the future.
Now might be a good time to head back to the recent interview with Gearbox's Randy Pitchford. These are certainly some very interesting and varied view points between the two.
Holtman also discussed why Valve will not release sales figures and what lessons could be learned from how digital sales of music impacted physical retail sales. Check out the entire interview over at MCV!
What is your view on the competition? Digital is growing more than ever, and now publishers like Electronic Arts are opening things like the EA Store for downloads. Doesn’t that create a level of conflict?
They should open their own stores. The way we approach digital distribution is this: We think that the people making PC games should go to as many channels as they can. And reach as many people as they can. If a publisher or developer wants to build something and reach people Steam cannot, then they should - it's good for digital. Everyone in the games industry wants to get their game out to as many possible people as they can - and if they want to reach 20 million people, then they also come to Steam as well as working with everybody else.
They should open their own stores. The way we approach digital distribution is this: We think that the people making PC games should go to as many channels as they can. And reach as many people as they can. If a publisher or developer wants to build something and reach people Steam cannot, then they should - it's good for digital. Everyone in the games industry wants to get their game out to as many possible people as they can - and if they want to reach 20 million people, then they also come to Steam as well as working with everybody else.
Now might be a good time to head back to the recent interview with Gearbox's Randy Pitchford. These are certainly some very interesting and varied view points between the two.
Holtman also discussed why Valve will not release sales figures and what lessons could be learned from how digital sales of music impacted physical retail sales. Check out the entire interview over at MCV!