Most PC Devs See Steam as a Monopoly and They're Worried

A new report says that most PC game developers are worried about how much the industry depends on Steam. The report, called "The State of PC Distribution," surveyed 306 game industry bosses and found that over half, or 53%, are concerned. A huge 72% of them feel that Steam is basically a "monopoly," meaning it has too much control over the market.

This worry is based on real money. For 88% of game studios, Steam brings in over 75% of all their revenue. This is a big risk because Steam is also incredibly crowded. Developers believe their biggest challenge is competing with free-to-play games, at 40%. They also struggle with "market saturation," at 35%, which just means there are too many games, and "discoverability," at 33%. 

This is the problem of getting players to find their game among the 18,000 new titles released last year.

How "Worried" Devs Are Handling the Steam "Monopoly"

To protect themselves, developers are starting to sell their games in other places, not just Steam. Almost half of developers, at 48%, are now using the Epic Games Store, which is known for giving developers a bigger cut of the money. Others are using different online shops, like Fanatical and Humble Bundle at 38%, as well as marketplaces at 30%, GOG at 10 percent, and itch.io at 8%.

But moving to other stores has its own problems, especially the "gray market." The study found that 73% of developers are concerned about players reselling game keys. Interestingly, the report notes that most developers, 73%, view the gray market not as a practice but as the places themselves, with respondents split on whether it's the marketplaces at 24%, e-stores at 24%, or a combination of both at 25%. Only 22% defined it as the simple act of unauthorised reselling.

Despite these concerns, developers like the benefits of these other stores. They pointed to things like being easy to use, giving them control over pricing, and helping with promotions. A third of developers also said these stores help them reach new players in new countries.

This move to sell games on multiple sites isn't just a temporary trend. A huge 80% of developers believe using these different channels will be a normal part of their business within the next five years. Plus, 75% of them expect to make at least 10% more money by doing it. This all points to a future where Steam isn't the only big player in the PC game market.

"With a growing prominence of e-stores and marketplaces, PC game distribution is more varied, vast, and complex than it has ever been," said Vadim Andreev, the CEO of Rokky, the firm behind the report. "New opportunities are everywhere – as are pitfalls and challenges... We created this report to highlight the trends that matter.”