Valve/Steam takes 30% of sales? UO on Steam

[Lore]

I know! I know! But just saw this somewhere else and was just shocked. Who would actually sign a deal like that for a 30% loss? I'm also aware that everything is negotiated, but this 30% is pretty wide spread and probably common.

 

[Flagg]

Almost everybody; despite Valve taking a huge slice of the pie, it has been extremely lucrative place to sell games for dev studios and publishers small and large alike. For that nasty 30% slice, Valve gives creator some visibility and a direct access to (digital) shelves that people visit when shopping. That's pretty much how publishing, any and all publishing, has always worked, right? Valve is a huge boon for any smaller dev studios who wold have never been able to score deal as lucrative as mere 30% cut in pre-digital era with any publisher.

At any rate it is bit irrelevant when it comes to UO though; Client has been free for years. Can't see how it'd show up to Steam wearing a price tag. So Valve would get a 30% cut from 0 euros.

 

[Merlin]

While no one knows the exact details of the arrangement, UO/Broadsword likely already gives approximately a third (if not more) of their revenue back to EA corporate and gets very little (if anything) back for it.

Bonnie also said at the 20th Anniversary party that UO would not be on Steam any time soon, if ever. So yes, likely beating a dead horse.

 

[Archnight]

I know! I know! But just saw this somewhere else and was just shocked. Who would actually sign a deal like that for a 30% loss? I'm also aware that everything is negotiated, but this 30% is pretty wide spread and probably common.

EA's solution which doesn't cost them a 30% loss hehe

 

[Picus at the office]

If you were a indie game house why wouldn't you sign with Steam for 30%, no brainer.

UO could qualify as indie scale at this point, might be slightly better as it has a subscription base but this game isn't bringing in the folks like days of yonder gone by.

 

[Nexus]

I know! I know! But just saw this somewhere else and was just shocked. Who would actually sign a deal like that for a 30% loss? I'm also aware that everything is negotiated, but this 30% is pretty wide spread and probably common.

Back before digital distribution how much do you think the cost of a game was for the physical materials, markup for retailers, and paying for preferred shelf space?

 

[Uvtha]

EA's solution which doesn't cost them a 30% loss hehe

Which sadly no one cares about or uses unless they must.

 

[Flagg]

While no one knows the exact details of the arrangement, UO/Broadsword likely already gives approximately a third (if not more) of their revenue back to EA corporate and gets very little (if anything) back for it.

Bonnie also said at the 20th Anniversary party that UO would not be on Steam any time soon, if ever. So yes, likely beating a dead horse.

I would kinda assume there is no such thing as " Broadsword's Revenue" All goes to- and comes from EA.
Ultimately it's just us all throwing guesses maybe.

Steam is ultimately very unlikely I guess, EA doesn't like to have it's games there anymore due to Origin basically being their own competing service.

I guess it'd be nice to get UO to Origin for starters, heh. Even though the old item store and game time codes, SA upgrade and so on are sold there, the base game client itself isn't available via Origin.

Unlike Steam, imo GOG.com sounds entirely within boundaries of likelihood. It'd make an extremely good fit for UO in general. (Gog= Good Old Games) If there ever is a digital home where UO would feel right at home, that'd have to be it. Notable visibility to boot. Nothing like Steam, but notable. Every single player Ultima game ever released for PC is already available via gog(and only via gog, I think) so it'd make a nice, natural addition to boot.

They should want to throw UO client to every single digital store willing to take it.(which would prolly be most actually?) It's not like they'd lose any revenue or such when selling a free client for 0 euros. EA prolly cockblocks any efforts on this field at every turn. Gog.com would be an exception though; they've clearly had a very good relationship with EA so far.

 

[Lore]

Gog is very awesome. Pre-configured DosBox is amazing.

 

[Ender]

Because Steam will allow a game to reach way more people than if it was self distributed.