Valve Conquered PC Gaming. What Comes Next?

Valve has achieved near-total dominance of PC gaming distribution through Steam, but the victory appears to have left the company adrift, Financial Times argues. The platform controls an estimated 70% of PC game sales while generating billions in revenue, yet Valve releases major new games at what observers call a 'glacial pace.'

Founder Gabe Newell has largely retreated from the company's operations, reportedly living at sea on one of his five ships and pursuing side projects like brain-computer interface startup Starfish Neuroscience. The much-anticipated third Half-Life game became 'the video game equivalent of Samuel Beckett's Godot' before being quietly cancelled.

Attempts to challenge Steam have failed repeatedly. Epic Games Store, powered by Fortnite's success, 'has failed to really impact Steam in any meaningful way,' according to industry analysts. Microsoft runs what analysts describe as a 'somewhat unambitious store,' while EA shut down its Origin launcher earlier this year. Gaming analyst Michael Pachter notes that major tech companies could displace Valve 'but nobody cares' enough to mount a serious challenge.

Court documents suggest Steam's revenues will exceed $10 billion next year, leaving Valve with unprecedented profits but unclear direction for a company that appears to have run out of worlds to conquer.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.