Steam is the largest digital distribution platform for PC gaming, with over 150 million active users. No wonder, most developers choose this platform to release their projects. Let’s find out does Steam cost money and how to put game on Steam.
Why is Steam so popular?
Steam has been on the market since 2003, and now it has grown to become the leading PC gaming platform. Steam still comes out on top, even when the Epic Games Store gives out free games, and GOG has a library filled with non-DRM titles. It continues to be a free to download video game hub, with much of the game content either free or relatively low cost. These days, an ability to purchase and install a game with only a few clicks is so convenient that we almost forgot what the gaming world was before when you needed to purchase a physical copy at a retailer.
Steam is also known for regularly offering nice discounts and sales, making it attractive to users. It is the longest running and the oldest digital distribution platform on the market. Therefore, over the years Steam have built up a huge game library and a large customer base as well. Moreover, Steam is a social network with one of the largest gaming communities on the web. Head to the forum linked to a game, and you'll see dozens of posts created by users.
What is Steam mobile app?
Besides the desktop version, Steam has its mobile app. The fact is the app existed for around seven years, and you probably never heard of it. But recently Valve released a major update in which they made the app more common for mobile platforms and modernized the design. Steam mobile let you take your account with you anywhere, buy PC games, get the latest game news, and never miss sales.
With Steam new mobile app, users are more likely to browse new games on the go. But how to hook a user when Steam is flooded with competitors? The answer is game art – the first thing a user will see scrolling the feed. Bad art is a dealbreaker that lowers the chance a user will click and, potentially, buy the game.
To get a juicy high-quality art, you can use 3d character design services for games. Desktop and mobile Steam have different art format and requirements that can be a real headache. A team of professionals already knows all of them, so you won’t worry to do something wrong.
How much does Steam cost?
Steam is not free for developers, and there are some charges you will pay during the partnership. If you want to publish a game, it’s important to know how much is Steam costing you.
First, let's find out how much does it cost to put a game on Steam. In order to get fully set up, Steam will charge a fee for each product you wish to sell on the platform. The fee for submitting to Steam Direct will be $100 per game. Steam Direct is a “quality control” service which simplifies the game publishing process. It takes between 1-5 days for a game to be checked and published.
Moreover, Steam takes around 30% from each game sale. Certain publishers or high profile titles will be able to negotiate a better rate, but 30% is a standard cut.
How to put game on Steam?
So, you've finally decided to put your game on Steam. First, you need to register as a partner at Steamworks. You'll need to fill out some forms in order to sign up for Steamworks. Before you proceed, make sure you have your bank account, routing number and tax information available. An approval process will take about a week.
After you registered as a partner, you can log in to Steamworks with your existing Steam account. At this step, you need to sign up as a game developer or a publisher to start an onboarding process. You'll need to provide your name or company name, payment notification email, physical address, language, and fax number. Then read and agree to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
When the onboarding process is finished, you can create your store page, build the depots for your game, upload a game build, and, finally, set a price for your game.
Does Valve own Steam?
Valve is the company who owns Steam. Technically, the owner of Steam is Gabe Newell, an American businessman and the president of the Valve company. Valve launched Steam in 2003 offering only their own games, and it was obligatory to install Half-Life 2. But soon Steam became a publisher of third-party games.
Despite being a famous game developer, Valve actually makes most of its money from Steam distribution services. Through releasing its first-party games and other offerings from third-party developers and publishers, it is estimated that through Steam Valve corporation generated more than 10 billion U.S. dollars in revenues in 2021.
About the Valve corporation
Valve is a game & software development company founded in 1996. Valve is known as the main developer of the single-player Half-Life and Portal and the multiplayer titles such as Counter-Strike, Team Fortress 2, Dota 2, Day of Defeat, and Artifact. We know all these titles, and they prove the success of Valve digital goods business.
Naturally, one of the common valve controversy is the Dota 2 ownership rights. The Valve ownership of Dota confuses people, because originally Dota 2 was a mode of Blizzard's Warcraft III. But Blizzard can't claim ownership over Mods that were created with their engine, if everything associated with the original engine has been changed.
After an ongoing legal dispute with Blizzard Entertainment, the developer of Warcraft III, brokered a deal that allowed for Valve to inherit the trademark to the Dota name.
But what does Valve do now, and when they’re going to release new games? The company's output of them has become nearly stagnant. According to Valve’s product designer Greg Coomer, it currently has multiple new games in development.
However, Coomer remains vague, offering no details about the games or when fans might learn more about them. Valve rarely releases new games, unfortunately, so it is impossible to guess when they will roll out new titles.
