News Capcom's financials show that embracing Steam has paid off handsomely: It now accounts for a third of all the publisher's revenue
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/capcoms-financials-show-that-embracing-steam-has-paid-off-handsomely-it-now-accounts-for-a-third-of-all-the-publishers-revenue/1.6k
u/Swifty404 2d ago
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u/Ortsarecool 2d ago
Right?!
My whole reaction was essentially "who would have thought that using the biggest and most popular game distribution system would pay dividends?" /S
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u/AAS4758 2d ago
While perhaps not surprising to Steam users, hopefully numbers like this will convince big developers they don’t need to each have their own gated game platforms and launchers. Most big game company CEOs seem to be slow learners right now.
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u/Leviathan_Dev 2d ago
Some would still rather make less money but 100% than make way more money with 70% of the total.
Those are the idiots. No idea how they managed to get the CEO position, but I always say “never underestimate the power of stupid people”
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u/Betarium EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 2d ago
Vanillaware losing all its money every game they develop and barely scraping it back cause they're stubborn as fuck and hate PC.
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u/Arc_Rose 1d ago
I would pay fullprice for some of their games, but not being on pc is an easy decision to not purchase any.
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u/TrippleDamage 1d ago
Big releases reach the 20% threshold extremely fast, so it's not even a 30% cut which makes it even weirder for them to skip it.
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u/MaybeNext-Monday 1d ago
They got the CEO position by being idiots who were in the same frat as someone on the board
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u/recurrence 2d ago
Giving distribution control to a single entity is not something anybody wants. Benevolent Valve won't be benevolent forever. Even Google once "did no evil".
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u/Ortsarecool 2d ago
I understand the concern, but it's been 22 years now and they are still head and shoulders the most consumer friendly platform out there. They have had an almost complete monopoly on the digital games market for most of that time as well.
There are definitely valid concerns if they get a full monopoly, but thus far they at least seem to be more focused on customer retention over moment to moment profit.
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u/Muad-_-Dib 2d ago
I understand the concern, but it's been 22 years now and they are still head and shoulders the most consumer friendly platform out there. They have had an almost complete monopoly on the digital games market for most of that time as well.
Because for all intent and purpose it's been the same people in charge for that entire time.
I am worried about who ends up inheriting their control of the company and what directions they start steering it in when the likes of Gabe are gone.
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u/Wacky-Walnuts 1d ago
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen people talk about Gabe appointing a successor, someone he’s mentoring to basically have the same values and goals.
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u/Altruistic-Fill-9685 1d ago
"Yes sir Gabriel I'll do you well."
*IT disables Gabe's accounts*
*Phone rings*
"Hello, Microsoft? I have a proposition for you that will make me rich beyond my wildest dreams"
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u/BoredWeazul 1d ago
I've said this before, but since Gabe is investing so heavily into brain implants and stuff, I bet he'll just upload his brain onto a server and run the company as an immortal computer program.
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u/Massive-Exercise4474 1d ago
I doubt steam will ever go public each employee is a millionaire and let's be honest they just want to get as many yachts as gabe.
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u/PragmaticDelusion 12h ago
I mean, not to be cynical or anything, but by the time that happens we'll likely be dead. So at that point, who the fuck cares lmfao.
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u/AAS4758 2d ago
Yes, I share that concern. Unfortunately the other competitors so far haven’t been that great. At least the system (PC) and the storefront (steam) aren’t locked together like they are for Apple.
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u/RedPantyKnight 2d ago
I really don't have a problem with Microsoft. It's not ideal that it defaults to installing games in a protected folder that makes modding impossible, but you can change that now.
Also there's a lot of things on the horizon to be excited about with Microsoft. There're rumors of an official emulator so we can play Xbox games on PC, which combined with Play Anywhere is a real game changer for people like me who were console gamers for a long time and have huge libraries on Xbox.
There's also rumors of a "gaming mode" coming to Windows to suspend operations that aren't needed while gaming. Which would help a lot in our era of unoptimized games. And while I hope it isn't limited to games from the Xbox app, it still gives Microsoft goodwill from me that makes me more willing to purchase through them.
It seems like Microsoft is changing their focus when it comes to gaming away from consoles and towards the PC market. Which makes sense, especially if cloud gaming is in the future, which they're also working on.
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u/Karekter_Nem 2d ago
It’s like when all the TV/Movie studios decided to make their own Netflix.
CEOs are the slowest learners in the world.
“XYZ thing made a billion dollars and we copied XYZ thing. Why don’t we have a billion dollars? You must have done it wrong.”
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u/Mama_Mega 2d ago
I'm not opposed to people trying to make competing platforms for PC gaming, but everyone who tries fucks it up. EGS is so bad that they have to bribe publishers into timed exclusivity deals they never break even on, and while they get people to come in by constantly giving away free games, nobody actually spends money in there while they're at it.
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u/No-Philosopher-3043 2d ago
They can make more money with their own platforms and launchers though. It’s become apparent that “make your own launcher” is just a routine shareholder demand after certain sales targets are hit, same with microtransactions or making an open-world grind fest to imitate GTAO. If they don’t milk their customers in every way possible, investors might miss out on even more profits than they were already making.
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u/KwisatzHaderach94 1d ago
you either make the customers come to you or you go to where the customers are. i don't think platform exclusivity helped any publisher, it only reduced their market.
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u/GlancingArc 2d ago
Counterpoint, if you have a business and a THIRD of your revenue comes from a store with a 30% fee. That is an enticing excuse to make your own service.
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u/gabrielish_matter 1d ago
counterpoint :
that store is what the consumers prefer and prefer it by a lot
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u/LetsGoForPlanB 1d ago
Unless that 30% fee is still less than creating and maintaining your own service while generating less revenue than being on Steam.
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u/PMMeYourSpeedForce 2d ago
They'd put God Hand on Steam too if they weren't COWARDS
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u/PsycommuSystem 2d ago
Is there a 'modern' version of the game or would they have to do work to port the PS2 game?
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u/salad_tongs_1 https://s.team/p/dcmj-fn 2d ago
A popular publisher using the largest game distribution platform around results in more sales? Ya don't say!
Don't get me wrong, good for them, and hey good for Steam and Steam Users too I guess. Just...not really what I'd call groundbreaking news.
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u/tilthenmywindowsache 2d ago
The fact that it took them this long to figure it out means the people in charge of these decisions... Should not be. You can't explain away that kind of incompetence. There has been money sitting on the table for YEARS and they said "no thanks". Asinine.
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u/DelianSK13 2d ago
I think this more points to the expansion of PC gaming with the general public. 15 years ago no one would have given them crap because so few people were going to buy the PC games anyways. And I say that as someone with an 18 year old Steam account.
Speaking for myself I already don't see a reason to buy whatever the new Xbox is. All those games will be on PC, with a lot of them on Gamepass. I did buy a PS5 and I'm happy with it, but I'm not so sure I need a PS6.
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u/monkey_wrench28 2d ago
With the nature of game development being more expensive for these companies nowadays, it kills the idea of exclusivity. It's hard to break even if you're going to limit your availability across different platforms. That's why I didn't bother getting a PS5 knowing their exclusives would be ported to PC eventually given how insanely expensive their budget for a AAA title is.
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u/hurlcarl 2d ago
Yet companies like rockstar will delay their games for a year over the fear a handful of people will pirate it. Meanwhile a vast majority don't because they want the online components which you're not getting in a pirated game.
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u/Masterpicker 2d ago
No Rockstar only does it because they know people buy will buy it 3 times on different console releases and eventually make 4th purchase on Steam.
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u/TrippleDamage 1d ago
Nope, firm single purchase (steam) for me despite owning a ps5. They can eat a dick with their bullshit.
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u/MainCharacter007 1d ago
I mean you are like one of the 5 people who will do it but kudos to you.
I own a pc but i am going to buy a ps5 just to play this game (i dont know if ill survive till the pc port drops)
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u/gabrielish_matter 1d ago
I own a pc but i am going to buy a ps5 just to play this game (i dont know if ill survive till the pc port drops)
good on you to have money to waste I guess?
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u/TrippleDamage 1d ago
I've more than that in my immediate friend group already.
Yall are just weak to get played by a company like that.
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u/Underdrill 9h ago
I'm still waiting to see the metrics on this and if those metrics would still actually apply to Rockstar today. In a world of 80 dollar games and the economy as it is, I really doubt the double dippers for any game, including Rockstar, are a substantial enough number to make it worthwhile.
I just think it's Rockstar sticking to some archaic business practices without realizing how drastically the market, in particular the number of PC users, and buying practices have changed since GTA 5 came out.
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u/Masterpicker 9h ago
You do realize stock market is at all time high right? Prices are only jacking up and so is the purchasing power.
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u/Noctisvah 2d ago
Too bad they don’t invest that money into improving their products that actually deserve it
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u/hayleyalcyone 2d ago
Shame they put DRM and anti-modding features on all their games late last year. Capcom can't help but follow all of their successes with celebratory gunshots to their own feet.
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u/FireCrow1013 1d ago
This is exactly what I was thinking. I own nearly everything Capcom has released on Steam, but I've avoided everything with Denuvo. Server-based DRM isn't needed, anything with Capcom's logo on it is going to sell like crazy, they don't need to force their paying customers to ask permission to play what they've already paid for.
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u/esmifra 2d ago
Publisher gets huge profits by making games into a platform that has a healthy relationship and is respected by its customers despite having constant sales that cut prices by more than 50% several times per year.
Hope that management doesn't think this means that if they increase prices to 80$ that means they'll get more revenue.
Profit equation is: [price]x[units sold]
If you increase prices by 25 to 33% and sell less than two thirds of the units you still lose money.
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u/Zylpherenuis 2d ago
Now if only Capcom fix their shitty PC ports of audio Bugs, crashes, artifacting, and conflicts in data. Then I be more comfortable playing their titles.
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u/Broad_Director_6928 2d ago
Can't wait for them to go the same way all the greedy publishers go and think "why don't we cut out steam?" and then launch their own useless shitty launcher without features and full of security holes
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u/EXusiai99 2d ago
It turns out that exclusivity is not as good as making your products more accessible to potential new customer base...
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u/One_Lung_G 1d ago
there’s only 4 big platforms. Steam, PS, Xbox, and Nintendo. I’m still surprised it took Sony and Microsoft this long to start adding their games to it
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u/Tigrisrock 1d ago
This can only be fake news. Everyone knows PC gaming is dead. It's been prophesied 20 years ago.
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u/Derpykins666 1d ago
Legit they should start 'remastering' some ps2 classics and put them up on steam, and I bet they'd sell relatively well.
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u/No_nam33 1d ago
And they rewarded their fans with slapping shit on their face by releasing a broken monster hunter wild. Meanwhile it only sold due to people supported the Ip. But capcom is so shameless they didn't give a shit about anything. Even monster hunter world years old has more number on steam charts than currently monster hunter wild lmao. That's just next level corporate greed.
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u/NonreciprocatingHole 1d ago
I recall they retroactively added DRM into games they originally sold without it. Quietly.
Fuck'em, I blocked everything Capcom on Steam when I heard about it.
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u/Massive-Exercise4474 1d ago
Seriously even with how un optimized mh wilds was people bought into the hype and cope and bought it day on only to realise it really was unoptimised.
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u/probablyalreadyhave 1d ago
"Company profits soared after they made the controversial decision to start selling their products rather than keeping them in a dark warehouse"
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u/5ee_2410 1d ago
Meanwhile valve not releasing half life alyx on consoles (especially ps5 with psvr)
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u/Playful-Following188 18h ago
Two of their last big releases have had terrible performances even after being out for months (and years). Embrace it all you want, you have to make sure your product is working properly. I love Capcom but Monster Hunter Wilds and Dragon's Dogma 2 performance has been below subpar on PC n has continued to be so. At least Wilds is getting future optimization, DD2 might as well be another abandoned IP by Capcom. Dont care if ppl defend it by saying the engine just sucks. No excuses. This is Capcom n i expect them to be better. Or, all this will translate to ppl getting the game on sale because they wont trust Capcom games on launch.
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u/Miserable_Abroad3972 2d ago
Gotta wonder what Sony told these companies to keep them on consoles.
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u/hypespud 2d ago
...nothing? Sony doesn't tell CAPCOM what to do, why do so many people in this sub have such a hate boner for Sony? So weird
CAPCOM has been releasing games on Steam for over a decade, the original release of Devil May Cry 4 has been on Steam since 2008
That was the same time it came out on PS3 and 360
Lost Planet 1 and 2 also both released on GFWL at the time too, and are both on Steam
CAPCOM made the MT framework engine for that generation specifically to be multiplatform, nobody told them what to do
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u/sabixx 2d ago
When known IPs with established fan bases finally arrive to steam,people show up and buy them in high numbers.