I hate Steam Greenlight. I really do. I even wrote at length about why.
A lot of people are asking me if Another Star will ever be on Steam Greenlight. Back in August, I stated that I didn’t know the answer to that question.
Truth be told, I’m not sure I care that Another Star has a tiny chance of getting through. I’m not sure I care that I’m losing sales by not putting the game there. Out of principle, I simply cannot stand the very idea of submitting it. I may yet give in, but the whole thing ticks me off and I’d rather just say “screw it”.
The problem is, principles don’t pay the bills. They don’t put food on the table. They don’t fund future projects, or even help keep hardware and software up-to-date. Valve has a virtual monopoly on the PC games market with Steam. A large number of gamers will not even consider buying a game if it’s not already on the service. It’s a sad, sorry state of affairs, but it’s the way things are, and despite Valve’s continued, empty promises that they’re going to overhaul the system it doesn’t look like it’s going to change anytime soon.
That said, Greenlight has improved since I wrote both of those entries, even if only a little. At this point, I can say with certainty that Another Star will eventually be on Steam Greenlight. I’m still not comfortable with the service, but at least it’s gotten to the point where I don’t immediately gag at the thought of it. (It’s more of a slow, delayed reaction now.)
The problem at the moment is cash. Steam’s horrendous $100 gate is effectively shutting me out for the time being. Moreover, it’s not a free ticket to success. The money I have right now is already set aside for things like bills and groceries, and my credit card is just about maxed out. I can’t justify buying what amounts to a lottery ticket at this exact moment in time. Later in the month, however, I should have a bit more money to work with, and I’ll try to get Another Star up on Greenlight then.
To be clear, I’m not asking for a handout. I’m just asking for patience. If you have $100 to pay for someone’s Steam Greenlight fee, please find someone who needs and deserves it more than me. There are a lot of struggling developers out there who deserve a shot. I have more money on the way, but a lot of them don’t.
Well, if/when you do get it on Greenlight, let me know. =)
Don’t worry. You’ll know. I’ll be pushing it pretty hard.
I’d actually say it’s 50/50. Half the gamers want DRM-free and would always get DRM-free over anything else (some of them like me refuse DRM in general) and the other half only gets games when they are on Steam (or Desura to a small extend).
But it also strongly depends on country. In some countries Steam is like mandatory, in other countries most people are still very scared of personal data stealing and stuff and will refuse to register anywhere.
It never hurts to offer your game any way you can, though! I only dislike developers that put their games only on Steam and nowhere else, that sucks.
I DO wish you good luck getting on Steam, though!
That is one nice thing about Desura. When you buy a game through them, you get it in the Desura app, but you can also download it directly (unlike Steam).
Thanks!