FSX-SE FSX Steam — What Is It?

[AWACS 12]

And how much do you think Steam "squeezes" from developers?  The answer to that is, the true amount is written in a contract between Steam and the developer, but I can tell you the arrangement is equitable and beneficial to both parties, why do you think that this platform is so popular?  A lot of times, Kickstarter=bad, Steam=good.

[houstonhear 0]

Just going by what Robert Young has posted. . .

[JSkorna 137]

 

 

And how much do you think Steam "squeezes" from developers?  The answer to that is, the true amount is written in a contract between Steam and the developer, but I can tell you the arrangement is equitable and beneficial to both parties

 

1. Way more than what you would estimate.

 

2. Not according to the postings of some major FS developers it isn't.

[DarkstarF16 72]

Im simply inferring from what Robert has been saying and from my experiences here in the UK and what the big grocery stores have been doing to their suppliers.

 

To the average person on the street, getting a contract to supply one of the big five supermarkets would be akin to winning the lottery. However nothing is further from the truth especially if your a small fish. The big supermarket is like you having to get on the bus with the school bully very morning. You don't have a choice, it's the only form of transport and the school bully takes what he wants from your lunch box.

 

Of course, I cannot comment on what steams terms are or how they run there business but I've been in the commercial world long enough to know that you would give each developer "special terms" And you would ensure that they were not allowed to disclose those terms with anyone.

 

If your the market leader, número uno and you have a market of (insert the biggest number you can think off) you would reasonably expect the developer to pay you for letting them use your platform wouldn't you?

[AWACS 12]

Hi Jim, of course it's going to get a little complicated when people who develop addons for games want to publish their work as well.  This is all new territory for Steam.  Think about PC gaming for a minute.  DLCs come from the developers.  All of Skyrim's DLCs were from Bethesda weren't they?  Think about how difficult it would be for Steam to try and figure out how to handle companies like Abacus, ORBX, and Flight 1 who are not game developers, but are developers of addons for games.  Some of these are already publishers as well.  That's not what Steam is really about, so I see your point, but it doesn't really apply to Steam.

[JSkorna 137]

So Jeff, if Steam said to FS Developer ABC you can sell on Steam but your cut is 10% that would OK?

 

That sure does apply to Steam. 

[gpbarth 12]

FSX:SE will probably €5 in the next steam-sale. (just like it was in the last sale).

I suggest you wait for that.

And when would that sale be? I'd love to pick it up for less than the $25USD advertised, but it's not worth waiting for another several weeks or a month. Does Steam advertise their sales through e-mail, like PCAviator?

[robert young 2,897]

It's not really about Steam per se. It is the COMBINATION of Steam and other parties who together form an affiliation. It's the accumulated cuts paid to Steam AND OTHERS that reduce the authors cut. If developers were allowed to sell directly on Steam rather than via Steam plus another (and in some cases yet another) middleman, there would be no problem at all.

[houstonhear 0]

And how much do you think Steam "squeezes" from developers?  The answer to that is, the true amount is written in a contract between Steam and the developer, but I can tell you the arrangement is equitable and beneficial to both parties, why do you think that this platform is so popular?  A lot of times, Kickstarter=bad, Steam=good.

 

So, Jeff, you have seen such a contract between Steam and a developer?  If so (without revealing names), what was the arrangement?  What do you deem "equitable and beneficial to both parties"?

 

Just curious, because there appear to be developers around here who definitely do not find the arrangements "equitable".

 

BTW, Kickstarter hasn't done too poorly, either:  $1,555,897,000 in pledged funding, with 79,068 successfully funded projects, to date.

[Wobbie 938]

I'm a bit confused here. So many have said that the $5 is a bargain. Yes, of course it WAS then, & will be when the next special will appear.

 

Steam is not forcing any developer to distribute in Steam, are they?

So far there are only 4-5 DLC's on Steam. I'm sure those devs were not forced to market their products there.

 

So, the devs have got various options, such as:

Selling directly to the public, as they have been doing

Selling via 3rd party distributors, as they have been doing

Any other way, as they have been doing.

& with Steam, the problem is?

 

Steam, as we know, & has been mentioned here, is the largest distributor of on-line games.

Thoughts should be on the lines that Dovetail released their version of FSX on Steam to target gamers & obviously newbies to this type of gaming. So, obviously, it has to be easy to install, with DLC's aimed at their target market. Gamers want something simple & will loose interest if they have to worry about tweaking & how to install add-on's, hence the ease of the core program & the ease of DLC installs.

 

That brings us to the developers that want to climb onto the Steam band wagon. These devs are already well established with the existing FSX market,& quite a lot with the P3D market as well. Now they want to get onto the Steam market, targeting their gaming market as well. Yes, there has been so many debates on how FSX:SE compares with FSX:Gold, & the end result seems split, depending on our hardware & existing add-ons.

 

Discussing the way Steam pays their developers, is like discussing how Walmart pays their suppliers. As a consumer, I really do not care. If the price is right, I will buy. The suppliers must decide where & who can distribute their products & if they are upset on the deal offered, go where you can find a better deal.

 

Having said all that, I still feel that FSX:SE, as marketed, is pretty much targeted at gamers & newbies, with plug 'n play ease of use functionality, as not to scare the new users away, & it is fortunate that, us 'oldies' (& devs) can work the system by making existing stuff work.

 

(dunno what Kickstarter has to do with anything?)

[Pastaiolo 1,688]

Steam rarely requires a cut of 30% as far as i know.

 

In this topic too we hear people talking about Dovetail and Steam asking for bigger cuts, but never the quantity. So, can we have some actual numbers instead of the same story repeated in every topic about FSX-SE?

 

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/10/12/the-steamy-issue-of-digital-distribution/

 

http://www.destructoid.com/tripwire-valve-absolutely-not-exploiting-steam-devs-151832.phtml

 

http://www.pcgamer.com/steam-and-gog-take-30-revenue-cut-suggests-fez-creator-phil-fish/

[Wobbie 938]

:Talking Ear Off: :t0152:

[robert young 2,897]

Steam rarely requires a cut of 30% as far as i know.

 

In this topic too we hear people talking about Dovetail and Steam asking for bigger cuts, but never the quantity. So, can we have some actual numbers instead of the same story repeated in every topic about FSX-SE?

 

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/10/12/the-steamy-issue-of-digital-distribution/

 

http://www.destructoid.com/tripwire-valve-absolutely-not-exploiting-steam-devs-151832.phtml

 

http://www.pcgamer.com/steam-and-gog-take-30-revenue-cut-suggests-fez-creator-phil-fish/

 

I gave precise figures in earlier threads, as did at least two other developers, and including a moderator, and we know the facts.

[Squishy 0]

And when would that sale be? I'd love to pick it up for less than the $25USD advertised, but it's not worth waiting for another several weeks or a month. Does Steam advertise their sales through e-mail, like PCAviator?

 

They have 2 huge sales every year but probably somewhere in the spring they'll do a smaller one.

Look at the graph at the bottom here you can see the prices for yourself:

https://www.steamprices.com/us/app/314160/microsoft-flight-simulator-x-steam-edition

[Pastaiolo 1,688]

I gave precise figures in earlier threads, as did at least two other developers, and including a moderator, and we know the facts.

 

Must have missed it. As i said, this topic keeps showing up in different places and probably missed one. Can you link me to the relevant post, or even send me a PM?