Steam Breaks Through 30 Million Concurrent Users Milestone

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PC gaming continues to go from strength to strength.

Steam Client
(Image credit: Future)
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Mark Tyson
Mark Tyson
News Editor

Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • PlaneInTheSky
    Not sure we should be cheering on a platform like Steam that has grown to become a monopoly on the PC.

    A Steam platform that is also still very active in Russia and pretended their nose was bleeding when asked about the conflict and their activity in Russia.

    Money is what drives Steam, not ethics. Gabe Newell needs the money so his private jet can fly him off to New Zealand when Covid puts everyone else in lockdown.
    Reply
  • sizzling
    PlaneInTheSky said:
    Not sure we should be cheering on a platform like Steam that has grown to become a monopoly on the PC.

    I've not bought a game on Steam in years yet I have bought many games in that time. I definitely wouldn't call Steam a monopoly
    Reply
  • PlaneInTheSky
    I've not bought a game on Steam in years yet I have bought many games in that time. I definitely wouldn't call Steam a monopoly

    Steam falls under the definition of Monopoly and Abusive Dominant Position by many standards.

    There is far too little competition, especially in Europe. Steam and Epic are both US stores that dominate the online sales of games in Europe.

    The US would never accept Europe dominating billions worth of game sales in the US. Neither should Europe accept US companies dominating the sale of games in their market.

    The European Courts, in the well-known United Brands and Hoffmann-Laroche decisions of 1978 and 1979 defined monopoly power (or domination) as “a position of economic strength enjoyed by an undertaking that enables it to prevent effective competition "

    Article 82 (former Article 86) of the European Union Treaty states: “any abuse by one more undertakings of a dominant position within the common market or in a substantial part of it shall be prohibited as incompatible with the common market in so far as it may affect trade between Member States”.
    Reply
  • BeedooX
    I don't, and won't use Steam - well not since it was first launched.

    I've emailed Steam, Epic Games and Rockstar to protest against their 'software". I simply don't want high-scores, achievements, social networking, shop fronts, game offers or literally anything else they would offer thinking it provides "value".... just the DRM component and nothing else - none of them seem interested in having a super light-weight launcher.
    Reply
  • Colif
    I winder if they awarded themselves an achievement trophy for that
    Reply
  • ikernelpro4
    PlaneInTheSky said:
    A Steam platform that is also still very active in Russia and pretended their nose was bleeding when asked about the conflict and their activity in Russia.
    What the heck does Valve have to do with Ukraine-Russia?

    The mind gymnastics of people is mind-boggeling. Are you going to ask water bottle manufacturers about their stance on Vietnam-US or the CIA's Intervention in Chile 1973 or illegal invasion of Iraq....Need I continue?

    Keep companies out of politics. I don't think we're helping Ukraine by pressing a digital game shop's stance on a completely irrelevant matter, just because they have customers from that region!🤦‍♂️
    Reply
  • ezst036
    PlaneInTheSky said:
    Not sure we should be cheering on a platform like Steam that has grown to become a monopoly on the PC.

    I think calling Steam a monopoly is not well founded and perhaps incendiary. Valve is helping open up the operating system market at great expense of their own. (Linux/SteamOS)

    We know what monopolistic practices look like Microsoft did them for decades. Apple does them now. We know what that stench smells like.

    That stench is NOT flowing from Valve Inc.
    Reply
  • drivinfast247
    PlaneInTheSky said:
    Not sure we should be cheering on a platform like Steam that has grown to become a monopoly on the PC.

    A Steam platform that is also still very active in Russia and pretended their nose was bleeding when asked about the conflict and their activity in Russia.

    Money is what drives Steam, not ethics. Gabe Newell needs the money so his private jet can fly him off to New Zealand when Covid puts everyone else in lockdown.
    You're gonna be alright, little fella!
    Reply
  • WrongRookie
    PlaneInTheSky said:
    Not sure we should be cheering on a platform like Steam that has grown to become a monopoly on the PC.



    A Steam platform that is also still very active in Russia and pretended their nose was bleeding when asked about the conflict and their activity in Russia.

    Money is what drives Steam, not ethics. Gabe Newell needs the money so his private jet can fly him off to New Zealand when Covid puts everyone else in lockdown.

    ...you do realise that Steam is the most favoured ou of all platforms right? In addition to having the ability to mod your games, you also have a platform that reliably stores your games.

    While it does suck that they take that dat 30% cut from your game, it is definitely the place where your game has the best chance of exposure.

    Really have no idea what you're saying about that Russia part considering that Valve is an American company.

    And no...Gabe isn't even that rich. If he were he would have retired by now.
    Reply
  • TerryLaze
    PlaneInTheSky said:
    Steam falls under the definition of Monopoly and Abusive Dominant Position by many standards.

    There is far too little competition, especially in Europe. Steam and Epic are both US stores that dominate the online sales of games in Europe.

    The US would never accept Europe dominating billions worth of game sales in the US. Neither should Europe accept US companies dominating the sale of games in their market.
    Steam isn't preventing anybody from being effective, they ask one of the highest percentages on each game sold which automatically means that everybody else has a good chance of succeeding.

    There just isn't anybody in Europe that is willing or able to build a competing platform.
    Reply