Steam Game Sales Question?
Steam Game Sales Question?
As it stands now Steam makes way more on games sales than $5
There's no benefit to allowing users to sell their licenses.
I believe they would surpass what they already produce. Rather than the approach the lawsuit demands, which results in receiving nothing, this outcome seems more favorable.
None of these scenarios would function in France if the existing ruling were confirmed by appeal courts.
The decision essentially confirms that you own the game and can sell it freely, leaving no opportunity for Valve to dictate pricing or add fees. The sole possibility for Valve to act would be to claim that part of the purchase relates to the game itself and part to Steam’s services, thereby justifying charging the new owner for registration. This argument would still face further scrutiny over whether playing the game without Steam is permissible, potentially involving debates on DRM and games as a service. The used games sector remains largely untested in such legal contexts.
In summary, the practical impact of a system like this in France is uncertain, and it seems unlikely Valve would pursue it there, let alone attempt it domestically.
They might explore similar approaches in regions without such legal challenges first, as a cautious strategy.
There are two main points to consider. First, trading games could reduce the share of new game sales that comes from Valve itself. Players who would have bought the game directly from Valve might instead purchase it from someone else, leading to lower earnings for Valve and its publishers. This doesn’t need to be a strict 1:1 split, as long as a notable amount of sales shift to individual players. Second, publishers play a big role in controlling game distribution, and they would likely resist any move by Valve that could cut their profits through player sales.
In line with your suggestions, it seems like a reasonable approach could be to impose a time limit on owning the game before selling it. Additionally, the original market for the game has decreased, but publishers still receive a small amount for each sale. As I mentioned before, the recommended range is 5$ or 10% of the price, whichever is higher, with a maximum cost of 10% on Steam. Let's revisit my earlier example. If the game sells for $50, the maximum price after fees would be $45. Most buyers would aim for the higher price, allowing them to keep more value. By a certain point—say six months later—the publisher would only be making a profit, not a loss. To reach $45 after fees, you'd need to sell the game for $40 plus a $5 fee. That means $3.50 would go to the publisher and $1.50 to Valve. It's not much, but it provides some income. Perhaps increasing the fee could help.