Game devs praise Steam as a 'democratic platform' that 'continues to be transformative' for PC gaming today

We couldn't hold a roundtable interview on the State of PC Gaming without asking developers about the most ubiquitous name in PC gaming: Steam. After 20 years the store is still a fixture, and despite increased competition from Epic, Ubisoft and other storefronts, it continues to thrive. The perspective of the developers we invited to talk about current trends in PC gaming—from the studios behind Warframe, Baldur's Gate 3, Slay the Spire, and EVE Online—was unanimously positive.

CCP Games VP of publishing Eyrún Jónsdóttir said that Steam remains «a crucial part of our pipeline» for EVE Online, which also has its own launcher but has enjoyed success on Steam since it went free-to-play on the store nearly a decade ago.

Michael Douse, Larian's publishing director, called Steam «a democratic platform.» 

«There's like two of those, I think,» he said. «Steam, and the Switch, too, is quite a democratic platform. If your game is really, really good, you have a very good chance that people on Steam will see it. You have to make an effort, it has to be good, it's not that simple, but it's so much better than, for example, having to campaign for your game with somebody else for like 12 months to get their store team to care about it.» 

«As stewards of PC gaming, I mean—I know it's a money-printing machine, and a company can only be so benevolent, but it's just a great constant in our industry that is [otherwise] really in fucking panic mode. It is a bastion in that sense.»

Slay the Spire co-creator Casey Yano credited Steam with making it possible for tiny indie teams like his to be able to make a living off of their games. «I made a Flash game way back when and I think I made $20,» he said. "[The store] was like 'that's not enough money, we're not even gonna send you a check.' But Steam came along and it was like, whoa, maybe some people can actually make a livable wage from this. I wouldn't even have a job … I wish more people could make it in the industry, but that's a