Steam: Difference between revisions
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→Business model: Provided some additional info on Steam's business model. |
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====Business model==== | ====Business model==== | ||
Steam makes money from every purchase of games on the platform, with 30% of the sale going to them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/that-lawsuit-against-steams-30-cut-of-game-sales-is-now-a-class-action-meaning-many-other-developers-could-benefit|title=That lawsuit against Steam’s 30% cut of game sales is now a class action, meaning many other developers could benefit|first=Edwin|last=Evans-Thirlwell|date=2024-11-28|work=Rock Paper Shotgun|access-date=2025-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250725042630/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/that-lawsuit-against-steams-30-cut-of-game-sales-is-now-a-class-action-meaning-many-other-developers-could-benefit|archive-date=2025-07-25|url-status=live}}</ref> | Steam makes money from every purchase of games on the platform, with 30% of the sale going to them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/that-lawsuit-against-steams-30-cut-of-game-sales-is-now-a-class-action-meaning-many-other-developers-could-benefit|title=That lawsuit against Steam’s 30% cut of game sales is now a class action, meaning many other developers could benefit|first=Edwin|last=Evans-Thirlwell|date=2024-11-28|work=Rock Paper Shotgun|access-date=2025-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250725042630/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/that-lawsuit-against-steams-30-cut-of-game-sales-is-now-a-class-action-meaning-many-other-developers-could-benefit|archive-date=2025-07-25|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
Steam also offers a community market where players can buy and sell different types of items, like in-game skins or trading cards, for a fee of 5% (with a minimum fee of $0.01). Any profits made from the market are added to the user's Steam Wallet and can't be withdrawn. This serves as another essential source of revenue for Steam.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Steam Community Market |url=https://steamcommunity.com/market/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=Steam}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Community Market FAQ |url=https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/61F0-72B7-9A18-C70B |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=Steam}}</ref> | |||
====Market control==== | ====Market control==== | ||
As of 2021, Steam has over 132 million players utilizing the service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/4145017/view/3133946090937137590|title=Steam - 2021 Year in Review|work=Steam|date=2022-03-08|access-date=2025-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816161655/https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/4145017/view/3133946090937137590|archive-date=2022-08-16|url-status=live}}</ref> | As of 2021, Steam has over 132 million players utilizing the service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/4145017/view/3133946090937137590|title=Steam - 2021 Year in Review|work=Steam|date=2022-03-08|access-date=2025-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816161655/https://store.steampowered.com/news/group/4145017/view/3133946090937137590|archive-date=2022-08-16|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
==Incidents: == | ==Incidents:== | ||
===Customer database hack (''Oct. 2011'')=== | ===Customer database hack (''Oct. 2011'')=== | ||
In October 2011, Valve temporarily closed the Steam Community forums following security-breach concerns. The company later confirmed that hackers had compromised one of its customer databases. The compromised database contained user information, including encrypted credit-card numbers, billing addresses, purchase histories, email addresses, and encrypted passwords for Steam accounts.<ref>Johnson, Casey (November 10, 2011). [https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/11/valve-confirms-steam-hack-credit-cards-personal-info-may-be-stolen/ "Valve confirms Steam hack: credit cards, personal info may be stolen"]. ''Ars Technica''. Retrieved January 17, 2025.</ref> | In October 2011, Valve temporarily closed the Steam Community forums following security-breach concerns. The company later confirmed that hackers had compromised one of its customer databases. The compromised database contained user information, including encrypted credit-card numbers, billing addresses, purchase histories, email addresses, and encrypted passwords for Steam accounts.<ref>Johnson, Casey (November 10, 2011). [https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/11/valve-confirms-steam-hack-credit-cards-personal-info-may-be-stolen/ "Valve confirms Steam hack: credit cards, personal info may be stolen"]. ''Ars Technica''. Retrieved January 17, 2025.</ref> | ||