- The original Saints Row design director claims that gamers should be worried about the future of Steam after Gabe Newell.
- He believes the platform would end up in a slow death spiral under a big corporation like Microsoft.
- A misstep like this could give Epic Games and other entities the advantage to fill the new vacuum.
Steam’s massive presence has only boomed since it became a behemoth in the PC gaming market, breaking concurrent player records multiple times over the last decade. However, that has not prevented gamers from being concerned about its future.
Now, a Saints Row lead developer says that gamers are right to be absolutely worried about Steam after Gabe Newell steps down. He argues that if any big corporation, like Microsoft, were to buy the store, then it would slowly but surely head towards downfall.
Why it matters: The Saints Row lead dev believes only a big corporation would attempt to buy Steam if it were to be sold, but the platform would have a grim future under such leadership and cause cracks to appear in its hold on the PC gaming scene.
In an interview with Esports Insider, Saints Row design director Chris Stockman says only a large entity like Microsoft would try to acquire Steam if Gabe were to sell it. He also argues that Gabe might make Steam go public, which would bring a different set of challenges.
If Microsoft were to buy Steam, oh my gosh, I don’t think it would be the overnight kiss of death, but I think it would be a slow death spiral.
-Chris Stockman, Saints Row Design Director.
In the most grounded scenario, he argues that Gabe might pass on the leadership to someone he trusts. However, a single major mistake could allow Epic Games and other Steam competitors to gain dominance in the PC market.
I think that’s what it would take for another storefront like Epic to gain dominance. A big misstep like that.
Regardless, Steam has doubled its user base in the last 5 years, while the attempts of other companies have not seen much success so far.
Do you think Gabe Newell will sell off Steam to a corporation or make the store public in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devotedly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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