Game Design, Programming and running a one-man games business…

The “Get indie games on steam” petition

cliffski

A lot of people ask me why my games aren’t on Steam. I always reply with “why not buy them direct” or “valve don’t reply to me”, both of which are true.

Because steam is so popular, I AM missing out on a lot of people getting to know about my games, and I still would love to have my games on there. So I was pleased to be added to the ‘get our games on steam’ petition that mode7 games (of determinance fame) recently started.

The petition is here. If you have a spare 5 minutes, please sign it. Indie devs need all the support we can get. My eyes water when I look at how much most advertising companies charge to promote my games, so getting on steam is one way I can get in front of lots of gamers without needing the megabucks that the big established companies like EA have.

And please tell other people about the petition!

dugg here:

http://digg.com/pc_games/Indie_devs_start_petition_to_get_listed_on_steam

10 thoughts on The “Get indie games on steam” petition

  1. I’m actually glad you’re on StarDock… I much prefer it over Steam.

    However, you’d probably sell more copies on Steam. I wonder why Valve isn’t replying..

  2. That’s strange that they’re not replying to you. A friend of mine got on there recently without much trouble.

  5. PoE: Or maybe the guys at Valve only have a finite amount of time and manpower to deal with the constant deluge of submissions? I’ve been involved in some relatively minor distribution and publishing outfits and had to pass up a lot of perfectly good proposals – I can’t imagine what it must be like if your company is the first name most people think of when it comes to digital distribution.

    Still, I’ll sign the petition. Anything that gives these games a bit more exposure is a good thing.

  6. I prefer Stardock’s Impulse. I am completely NOT fond of Steam’s geographical segregation. I cannot buy XCOM series, and I am missing out on some great offers, like the recent Rockstar games discount.

    No Steam for me!

  8. I talked to jmccaskey over on the Steam forums, and he told me that you’re supposed to get on steam by applying to be a Steamworks partner. -> http://www.steampowered.com/steamworks/gettingstarted.php

    The email address on that page is jasonh@valvesoftware.com, but if they don’t respond there I suppose you should call them, ask about what’s going on, and mention how they need to streamline the system. (Maybe on online form backed by a ticketing system, and hiring some dedicated steamworks employees to handle applications?)

  9. PoE:
    Alright john? Knock it on the head.

    Steam is an excellent service. It is comprehensive and very reliable. My sons and I used to purchase games at Electronic Boutique but now I buy exclusively from Steam. Nobody else appears to match their selection.

    I checked Stardock, a site I have never heard of before, but failed to find more than a small handfull of games. Possibly I failed to navigate to the correct page.

    I do not think petitions are the way to interest Valve in your products Cliff. It may make you appear to be whining. I am sure I do not have to remind you that the private sector abhors a public sector mentality which includes petitions, demands to make items freely available, tree-hugging and so on.

    Best of luck to you.

  10. I most definitely support this. Even by my standards, its a great game, and has considerably less problems than other games I have seen. One such problem is a clear lack of support in the first place. Trust me, you will be glad to place this on here.

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