Will CS:GO be the First Steamworks Title on the Xbox 360?

[Shawn Zipay]

It will be if Gabe Newell gets his way. The man in charge of Valve is pushing hard to get Steamworks and cross platform integration across all three platforms (Xbox 360, PS3, and PC) for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

The only problem with this plan? Microsoft.

"The main thing is having Microsoft get comfortable with it and let us do it," Newell said of the challenges Valve faces bringing Steamworks to Xbox.

"Right now, there's a huge amount of updates and free content we've been able to deliver to people who have The Orange Box that we haven't been able to deliver to the Xbox because of the restrictions that have been placed on us on Xbox Live.

"We'd love to see those relaxed. Other developers on the PS3 are starting to benefit from Sony's more open approach. Hopefully that will help Microsoft see that's a good strategy for making customers happy, that the barbarians won't tear down the walls of Xbox and turn it into some chaotic wasteland."

C'mon Microsoft, look at all the fun you're denying your player base. Cross platform play is the way of the future and will undoubtedly make your fans super happy*!

*Results not guaranteed

[CptainCrunch]

Re: Will CS:GO be the First Steamworks Title on the Xbox 360?

Heck no. We all know Microsofts real stance toward pc gaming. Bringing all this together would actually work toward what they "say" they want to accomplish.

Crunch

[K-16]

I think VALVe should have targeted Nintendo WiFi, iOS, and Android before Xbox Live. Take on the ones who are less paranoid to having Steamworks replace the respective propietary software's job, and then show Microsoft that they're the last ones left, because every other platform has cross-platform play with (possibly) free updates. Actually Steamworks could improve Nintendo's online experience. Of course, I am only imagining this as a possibility though reality seems to state otherwise.

[CptainCrunch]

Re: Will CS:GO be the First Steamworks Title on the Xbox 360?

Thats a good idea K-16. It adds pressure to them to cooperate and their fanbase would be yelling more.

Crunch

[K-16]

Re: Will CS:GO be the First Steamworks Title on the Xbox 360?

Don't forget Steamworks can be licensed to others for a price. VALVe isn't exactly limited to thinking of cross-compatibility for VALVe games... I see this as an introduction to showing how Steamworks is the game equivalent to .NET Framework technology. Companies sell licenses for engines (and VALVe does too obviously), but not too many develop modular framework that can work with software on different platforms. Same could be said for digital distribution back in 2003; Fileplanet proved there was demand, and VALVe made it feasible and profitable. That said, I digress. I'm just saying VALVe is using their games as a channel to show investors the value of what they're selling. In other words, people like me buy games and enjoy the features of a social/persistence engine (stats, chat) with free updates, while investors (as in publishers and developers) will incorporate VALVe tools as a catalyst to get features gamers would like to have, but previously wouldn't due to the difficulty and time it takes to develop such things (not necessarily programming, but also industry barriers).

I've been wondering if Microsoft is fully aware of this, and is resistant to allow VALVe to... Well... Take away their control of industry demand (developers, not gamers). I mean, Microsoft develops their own framework (such as .NET for PC anyway), and controls digital distribution of Xbox Live. And on that same point, would my suggestion be the crappiest strategy for VALVe, because everyone else is also resistant for the exact same reason? Would be nice if Nintendo let them upgrade their online foundation like Sony did though. But I feel like calling this a pipe dream isn't too much of a stretch.

There's also the annoyance that exclusive games may be reduced in the future should cross-compatible games become a standard feature. Customers would no longer show loyalty to what may become a draconian business strategy, so this sort of thing is a double-edged sword. Demand from customers would change as VALVe may have changed our tastes gradually thus far, but who knows what the hell is going to happen 5-10 years from now? Then again, exclusive games can be too resource intensive (or lacks certain control schemes) for all but one platform, so I guess it could still be a valid business move. I just like to think consoles can imitate each other fast enough to make exclusive games playable on any console, key words being "like to."

[Shawn Zipay]

Re: Will CS:GO be the First Steamworks Title on the Xbox 360?

You can't edit your post? UGHHHHHHHHHHH... I'll look itnto that tomorrow.