‘Valve is letting developers be the shopkeeper’

UK developers have hailed Steam’s decision to let them hold their own sales.

Creators can now introduce custom discounts to their games on the PC download platform, schedule future sales and even opt in for the Steam’s week-long sales.

And developer Garry Newman of Facepunch Studios has played down concerns that developers cutting prices could lead to games being devalued in the eyes of consumers.

The results of the sales are surprising. I am convinced that we could give Garry’s Mod away for free for a month and still make more money than if we hadn’t,” he said. Developers are in the wrong job if the only way they can compete is to lower their game’s price until they’re not making a profit.”

He added:?Valve is doing exactly what it promised – getting out of the way. It is letting us be more reactive and control our marketing. Trusting developers to do the best thing for customers is something you don’t see on other platforms. This is why we love Steam and why it is the best to publish on.”