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Steam Greenlight

SmaugSmaug Member Posts: 216
edited September 2012 in Off-Topic
I know I've read somewhere that the BGEE team can't comment on the future of BGEE appearing on Steam or other digital distribution services. However, I logged into Steam today and saw that the Steam Greenlight feature is now available to the masses. I'd be interested in finding out if BGEE is eligible to take a run through Greenlight, what with its associated IP licensing and whatnot; most of the games on Greenlight now appear to be small, pet projects using original IPs. Seems like a sweet way to get BGEE some exposure if the game meets the Greenlight criteria.
Post edited by Coriander on

Comments

  • The_New_RomanceThe_New_Romance Member Posts: 839
    I guess there's contractual problems or some sort of other legal/right-owning mumbo-jumbo. I don't believe Steam would have a game such as Baldur's Gate pass through the indie-prove-you're-worth-it arena, but then again I don't understand how they could not include BG and the other Infinity Engine games in their portfolio up to this very day.
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190

    I guess there's contractual problems or some sort of other legal/right-owning mumbo-jumbo. I don't believe Steam would have a game such as Baldur's Gate pass through the indie-prove-you're-worth-it arena, but then again I don't understand how they could not include BG and the other Infinity Engine games in their portfolio up to this very day.

    Online stores like Steam have a bad habit of not having that ONE RPG I'm looking for in their inventory. They have Knights of the Old Republic, but not KotORII, for instance! Argh!
  • KholdstareKholdstare Member Posts: 160

    I guess there's contractual problems or some sort of other legal/right-owning mumbo-jumbo. I don't believe Steam would have a game such as Baldur's Gate pass through the indie-prove-you're-worth-it arena, but then again I don't understand how they could not include BG and the other Infinity Engine games in their portfolio up to this very day.

    Online stores like Steam have a bad habit of not having that ONE RPG I'm looking for in their inventory. They have Knights of the Old Republic, but not KotORII, for instance! Argh!
    Actually, that game JUST got added recently. :)
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    @Kholdstare
    What? Liar! I'll go prove your lies are just that, lies! You lying...liar!
  • DeeDee Member Posts: 10,447
    And by "JUST", Kholdstare means, "in the last day or two". Very recent addition.
  • KholdstareKholdstare Member Posts: 160

    @Kholdstare
    What? Liar! I'll go prove your lies are just that, lies! You lying...liar!

    I wish I was. :P I bought a new copy of the game again the day before it was released on Steam.
  • The_New_RomanceThe_New_Romance Member Posts: 839
    @Schneidend I guess today's your lucky day :D In fact, it was about time KOTOR2 got added.
  • SmaugSmaug Member Posts: 216
    @Schneidend I picked that one up myself a few days ago. In addition, I dl'ed this mod after reading about it on Kotaku:

    http://deadlystream.com/forum/files/file/197-tsl-restored-content-mod/

    It is definitely awesome.

    @The_New_Romance I definitely agree with you that BG isn't indie. But, the BGEE project made me kinda think: what is indie? It's kind of a poorly defined term. The original game was definitely a well-funded, big studio game, but is the BGEE project indie? It is kind of in the prove-yourself category. I too lament Steam's lack of Infinity games =(
  • The_New_RomanceThe_New_Romance Member Posts: 839
    Yeah, good question. On the one hand, we got Atari, WotC and Bioware backing this up, on the other hand the Beamdog studio itself maybe qualifies as being "indie". Still, even if BG:EE is debatable, Steam should really put up the original games. Maybe they're just waiting for the EE release to ride the wave with the old games ;)
  • harvman11harvman11 Member Posts: 33
    My real question is why does it matter if BG:EE is on steam, at least to you as a customer? I understand why it matters to developers (more exposure/sales, but at least in this case lower profit/sale), but I don't get why everyone is so interested in getting it on steam?

    The only two logical reasons I can see are steam sales and stats/achievements. For steam sales, I honestly want people to pay full price for this game, at least initially, so I don't want it on steam right away. I know when Civ 5 Gods & Kings was announced, I waited until the steam sale to buy it. I don't want that for BG:EE, because I want these guys to be as successful as possible. For stats, I admit I'd like to see how many hours I've spent on this game, but I'd still rather give my money to Overhaul/Beamdog than Steam.

    Don't get me wrong, I like Steam, I use it constantly and I think it's a good system, but it's not something that's going to stop me from buying a game.
  • The_New_RomanceThe_New_Romance Member Posts: 839
    For me, it's easier to have it all organized in one client rather than using three or four plus standalone games (like in the olden days). Sure, I can link the game with Steam, but that's not as convenient as actually having it there.

    I know, it's a shame how customers trade in their independence for comfort.
  • SmaugSmaug Member Posts: 216
    edited August 2012
    @harvman11 I have already purchased it from Beamdog and from the way they have their very limited DRM setup, I think I will be happy with that. I agree w/ @The_New_Romance, it is convenient to have only one library of games all in one place, but I probably won't purchase BGEE again on Steam.

    However, I DO want it on Steam not for myself, but for the overall success of the venture. As you said, being sold through the Steam marketplace means exposure to millions of gamers that might not otherwise hear of it. As you alluded to, I think it would generate a great deal of income for the BG2EE and possible BG3 projects; both of which I would like to see fully funded. That's the only reason I care about BGEE being on Steam, personally. I usually don't become emotionally invested in a game's success or failure, but I really do want to see the BG projects continue.
    Post edited by Smaug on
  • zarffynzarffyn Member Posts: 175
    It may eventually appear on Steam. But the success of BG:EE and OverHaul, and continued success for the future, relies on OverHaul reducing the number of people taking slices of the pie. Distributing the PC version through their own (OverHaul and Beamdog being related) client makes perfect sense for the time being. It also helps to market their own client.

    They need to take advantage of what they can, for right now. The more pieces of the pie that gets taken by others taking their cuts, the less likely we are so see further enhanced games, or, golly gee, Baldur's Gate 3. Money makes the world go round, after all.

    That, and pie.
  • KharasKharas Member Posts: 150
    If any one are interested, then they do have Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout tactics on Steam.. I think its 10 euro or the like for each :)
  • MReedMReed Member Posts: 25
    As far as a I know, the reason that Overhaul / Beamdog isn't placing BG:EE on Stream is simply a matter of money.

    First, Stream takes a significant (~20%) cut of all sales -- something they don't have to worry about when selling via Beamdog's site. Further, I'm sure that Beamdog hopes that BG:EE will drive traffic to the Beamdog website -- people who will hopefully purchase OTHER titles from their catalog (after all, they already have the account and client installed), and not offering it to Stream is a fairly easy decision.

    It wouldn't surprise me if BG:EE is eventually offered on Stream, though -- probably 6 - 12 months after the initial release.
  • Doom972Doom972 Member Posts: 150
    edited August 2012
    They won't need to go through Greenlight. This game is published by Atari, so it's not an indie game.
  • Doom972Doom972 Member Posts: 150
    zarffyn said:

    It may eventually appear on Steam. But the success of BG:EE and OverHaul, and continued success for the future, relies on OverHaul reducing the number of people taking slices of the pie. Distributing the PC version through their own (OverHaul and Beamdog being related) client makes perfect sense for the time being. It also helps to market their own client.

    They need to take advantage of what they can, for right now. The more pieces of the pie that gets taken by others taking their cuts, the less likely we are so see further enhanced games, or, golly gee, Baldur's Gate 3. Money makes the world go round, after all.

    That, and pie.

    Don't forget that people who wait patiently for the game to get to other platforms might lose interest.
    There are enough examples to show that both ways can work:
    1) Legend of Grimrock was distributed directly from the developer, Steam and GOG at the same time and sold very well and made great profit for the developer.
    2) Minecraft is available only through direct purchase from the developer, it also sold well and made great profit.

    I think the pros and cons of either way balance each other out. But if they want the game to reach more people, distributing on multiple platforms as soon as possible is the way to go.
    Once you start thinking about how to squeeze every possible dollar out of every customer, you become EA.
    Gaining good will from your customers can be very profitable in the long run.
  • harvman11harvman11 Member Posts: 33
    @smaug @The_New_Romance I do agree it's more convenient, and when I'm given the option I almost always end up buying games on steam, because it's cheap, easy, and I know exactly what I'm getting.

    As for the financial aspects, I also feel very invested in this game's success, which is why I hope they stay off Steam initially. I think if Trent thought going onto Steam would make them more money, then that's what they would do. What I'm hoping is they hold off for about a year (probably a few months after BG2:EE), and then they put it on Steam. That way, they maximize their profit from those of us who will be buying it anyway, but can also get the exposure and sales numbers that being on Steam provides.

    I wasn't trying to be confrontational, I know most people on this forum are reasonable and fully support BG:EE, but I've heard a lot of complaints elsewhere (mostly Reddit) about how if the game wasn't on Steam they weren't going to buy it. I just don't understand that logic. Sure, Steam makes my life easier, but in the end it's just a means to obtain and play games, I care far more about the games than the client.
  • lmaoboatlmaoboat Member Posts: 72
    I thought the reason they didn't put it on steam is that they're technically competitors with their distribution system.
  • SmaugSmaug Member Posts: 216
    edited August 2012
    @harvman11 I didn't interpret your post as confrontational at all =). I completely agree with you, I don't think spending the chunk of money it would require to get BGEE on Steam right now is a good move, financially. I agree with you too that they should build up capital from the sales through Beamdog, then transition to Steam. In my original post on this thread, I was just musing about whether or not BGEE would be a candidate for Greenlight. I probably should have stipulated that I didn't mean Beamdog should do it right now.
  • harvman11harvman11 Member Posts: 33
    @Smaug it is an interesting question, as it really feels like an underdog/indie development process, despite the fact that back in its day BG was almost the equivalent of a AAA title. I'm interested to see how well the Greenlight system works, it puts a lot of faith in the gamers who are doing the voting.
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