Chart-Track: Steam must join the 21st Century’

Chart-Track has hit back at download platform Steam for dismissing the need for a digital chart.

Steam’s Jason Holtman told MCV last month that the idea of a chart ‘is old’ and that it isn’t ‘super important for a company to know how well everyone else is doing’.

Now Chart-Track’s MD John Pinder has fired back at the PC download giant in a letter to MCV, saying holding back data would be a backwards step for the games industry.

Is Jason Holtman really advocating a return to the ‘90s, when key retailers refused to pool their data, claiming it was better to supply sales direct to publishers?,” asked Pinder.

We know from years of experience with publishers, retailers and developers that the ability to benchmark every aspect of their business, to monitor competitor titles, to track market developments and to identify new trends are all key requirements.

A retreat from mutual co-operation back to isolationism would be a truly retrograde step – I urge Jason to join us in the 21st Century.”