Do video game publishers like steam?
I think they don’t have to like or dislike steam, as steam is a mean for them to deliver their products.It’s just business™Do They think 30% cut on their sales is too much? Like, now they think it’s too much? In 2019? When it’s basically a standard on almost every other industry, for the retailer to take a cut on the sales?It can be even higher on physical products, actually…Confused about cost price, wholesale price, retail price? Price terminology easily explained for creatives (this one gives a little more understanding, short story is the price consumers pay at shops can be as high as 3x (or even more) the cost of production, and not all that is the profit of the producer).But of course, if they want to get 100% of the sale, they can always resort to selling it on their own, then they will face the outrage of The Internet™ since (almost) no one (online) likes to download an endless list of clients.I personally think that had they created a DRM solution, open software, industry standard, so everyone can use, then clients would be unnecessary and people could buy games from their browser and have much more options of stores. But that’s just me, and I’m not deep into coding or what companies really want.
What does a game publisher do?
A game publisher publishes games.Okay, here's a few more details.In most cases, the publisher is the bank. It provides the money to fund game development, since most developers don't have the money to develop games (especially AAA games) on their own dime. Here are some of a publisher's other tasks.Finds and chooses games developed by third-party developers to publish.Recruits and develops internal or third-party development talent to develop the publisher's game concepts.Acquires film and other intellectual property licenses to develop into games.\Provides technical and production support to its game developers, which may include such things as development tool licensing, use of publisher-owned proprietary tools, localization, and/or porting.Conducts quality assurance testing.Promotes, advertises, manufactures, sells and distributes the games it publishes.Provides technical and customer support.For online game, a publisher may be responsible for community management and running the live team that develops new content.
Are video game publishers no longer necessary?
On the contrary, I think as video game as an industry grow and become more regulated and consolidated, publisher would be a necessity, like distributors for movies. Considering Universal (publishing) and Focus Features (Studio), or Walt Disney (publishing) and Pixar (studio). Studios would need publishers' help with funding, marketing, console relationship, distribution channels (Game Stop, Amazon... etc). With larger projects, it often requires several different studios to work together, it's often more efficient to coordinate between studios from publishing side. Sure, the smaller studios don't need publisher, like independent movie studios often release movies on their own. Larger games like big blockbuster movies benefit from a publisher from beginning to end. And of course, there's studios like CD Projekt RED who develop and publish their Witcher games. But CD Projekt RED is an exception not the rule, certainly not the trend.
How do video game publishers mass produce so many disks for retail?
They use a highly stylized and proficient copier that enables them to take the source code, graphics and everything else for the game and copy it to the disc. The disc then travels along and gets its sticker placed on to the top of it so you know what game it is. At this point, it gets put in its case either manually or by machine, shrink wrapped and boxed up and sent to stores near you.
Why do most game developers not work with publishers?
Most game developers do not work with publishers because game developers make far more games each year than game publishers can afford to publish. There were 4,207 games released on Steam in 2016. So far this year, the App Store has offered more than 750,000 gaming apps. Most of these are of a lower quality and/or scope than the games released by Electronic Arts, Activision, Microsoft, and other game publishers.A secondary reason is that some developers prefer not to work with publishers. While a publisher offers development funding and marketing expertise, its comes at the price of the developer getting a smaller percentage of sales revenues and giving up some creative control and possibly even rights to their own intellectual property.