Steam hits 15 million users
by Scott Jon Siegel 
{ Feb 7th 2008 at 1:25PM }
In addition, an official press release states that Valve has seen 158% sales growth over the last holiday season, putting the company in a pretty good place coming into 2008. Steam's rapid growth is likely due in part to the critical success of Portal, as well as the ever-expanding offerings available through the download service.
With last year's debut of the Steam Community features, and the zombie survival FPS Left 4 Dead coming later this year, we can only anticipate that Steam will continue to grow in popularity. Kudos to Valve folks for all their hard work. Now, can we have a Mac version yet?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Feb 7th 2008 1:31PM
Take that Xbox Live! for windows
Ebola @ Feb 7th 2008 1:32PM
Grats Valve!
Mr.ESC @ Feb 7th 2008 1:32PM
I hope Left 4 Dead is included in the next box with episode:3,hell I'm going to buy it anyway.
(I changed my avatar in order to do a joke but I forgot I didn't saved my other avatar,so I'm pretty much going to use Chris Hansen Image for a while.)
Oh yeah I almost forgot:
This was triumph.
Dr. Jerk Face @ Feb 7th 2008 2:16PM
.. I'm making a note here:
Ted @ Feb 7th 2008 3:25PM
Huge Success!
Fox318 @ Feb 7th 2008 5:03PM
It's hard to overstate
my satisfaction.
Satertek @ Feb 7th 2008 7:27PM
Aperture Science: we do what we want, because we can
glitched @ Feb 7th 2008 1:48PM
Steam has really REALLY grown on me over the years.
I actually regret buying the retail copy of COD4, and wish I had purchased it through steam instead.
If PC gaming is to survive and flourish, steam should be the one uniting force to do so, IMO.
FOXHOUND @ Feb 7th 2008 1:57PM
Honestly, I had only 'heard' about it previous to the release of THE ORANGE BOX(PC), but it wasn't until I purchased that and realized how neat-o-torpedo the community is... big congrats to STEAM. A slice of cake well deserved.
Laggy @ Feb 7th 2008 10:17PM
We pay anything from $80 to $120 for a new game in Australia. When COD4 first came onto Steam it was $50US for Australia as well, but soon after it was changed to $88. Most likely due to the fact that the big rip-off stores like EB were putting pressure on Valve. So because we live in Australia we must pay an extra $38 for an online purchase? Truly pathetic.
jae @ Feb 7th 2008 1:48PM
kudos to steam, really, that's pretty cool.
as for the mac version? there never will be a mac version. much like valve refused to port orange box to ps3, they won't do it because it's not microsoft. sorry, but gabe newell's a tool.
FOXHOUND @ Feb 7th 2008 1:58PM
And he's a big stinky doo-doo head.
wyrdtoo @ Feb 7th 2008 2:46PM
@jae
"much like valve refused to port orange box to ps3, they won't do it because it's not microsoft."
Say whaaaa...?
http://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Arts-Half-Life-Orange/dp/B000PE0HBI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1202412440&sr=8-3
Never say never... money talks. If Mac becomes a viable gaming platform with enough money on the line to make it worth Valve's resources to develop, maintain and support a Mac app and community, they'll do it. My guess is that they evaluate the Mac gaming market at least quarterly to determine if it makes business sense to jump in.
Just like they ported one of the greatest box sets ever to the PS3, despite it's smaller install base and lack of Microsoft-love. They wouldn't have done it if they didn't think it would make them at least SOME money on their investment.
PS - Is it hip to be a Valve fanboy right now? Because I am. :D
glitched @ Feb 7th 2008 2:53PM
wyrdtoo, i think you answered your own question... Valve didnt do the port, EA did.
wyrdtoo @ Feb 7th 2008 3:00PM
Agreed - but it's still their property and reputation on the line - they had to ALLOW EA to do it. There could be any number of reasons for not having their own people directly working on the port. The fact that they allowed it says they are open to supporting non-MS platforms with their games. Just sayin' never say never, if the money's there. :D
Grimmus @ Feb 7th 2008 5:18PM
It could be because, you know, Macs suck for gaming. Hell, Macs suck for just about everything outside of looking like a tool while sitting around at Starbucks. Of course there's no surprise there considering Macs are made to sell an image.
PointyThings @ Feb 7th 2008 1:55PM
That's 1 and a half times the number of WoW users! Huge success. Pretty much the only thing holding valve back from being the greatest company in the world (to me) is their lack of mac support. That said, I'd take a bullet from those guys.
PointyThings @ Feb 7th 2008 1:55PM
That was supposed to be "for", though I guess I'd take one from them too.
Robobagins @ Feb 7th 2008 2:16PM
Do companies even care anymore to do Mac ports since it's easier to dual boot?
ChimpWithAHandgun @ Feb 7th 2008 2:10PM
15 million users? But, PC Gaming is dead! Everybody says so! Who do I believe!!!!!!!!
Scott @ Feb 7th 2008 2:15PM
This is a triumph.
I'm making a note here:
Huge success!
It's hard to overstate my satisfaction.
quickshade @ Feb 7th 2008 2:16PM
Silly Joystiq, Macs aren't for games.
one i blind @ Feb 7th 2008 2:25PM
aww man! did you have to play that card. any minute now some self-absorbed jerk is going to call you out on that.
quickshade @ Feb 7th 2008 2:27PM
I love mac fanboys. They are just like Steve Jobs. They think they are perfect and at the top of the world.
deaftly @ Feb 7th 2008 2:56PM
nah, the mac fanboys are to busy grooming their soul patches atm. nothing to worry about.
Benjamin Gilbert @ Feb 7th 2008 3:17PM
No mac = no dice. Whoever says Macs aren't for gaming is a pretty big silly-statement-maker. I guess I need to buy that external finally and install Windows and bootcamp. Comma. Goddamnit.
James @ Feb 7th 2008 3:23PM
Exactly, it's just these vocal angry people who have something against Macs. I'm running my games on Bootcamp with no fuss at all (barring the occasional XP problem), on a hardware level these machines can handle it.
It's also quite funny that there has been a little crowd of anti-Mac people being arses whereas us Mac users aren't acting like knobs :)
Optimaximal @ Feb 7th 2008 3:43PM
First time for everything...
Be right back, i'm gonna install my games off a DVD... Oh wait, sorry... The Macbook Air doesn't have one :)
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Feb 7th 2008 4:29PM
Um, if you're using bootcamp, you aren't running them on a mac, you're running them on a PC. It just so happens that macs can run on the same hardware windows can now.
James @ Feb 7th 2008 5:27PM
This proves my point about the vocal anti-Mac crowd being less than educated.
MBA can use any USB2 optical drive, it can "borrow" the drive off a desktop computer over a network.
I was given a MBA (SSD version) for work and it's probably the best ultra-slim laptop I've used for writing (it's incredibly fast outside of gaming) and design work. I wouldn't pay that price for one myself but it's a godlike system.
Grimmus @ Feb 7th 2008 5:29PM
Last time I checked, Microsoft didn't have to make a commercial that slammed people who don't use its product.
Mac users are like Christians in that sense; They're not buying into anything truly worthwhile, they're buying into a false sense of superiority through constant circle jerks from fellow believers.
WiNG @ Feb 7th 2008 2:32PM
Steam is really going to show MS how they failed PC gaming.
Steam is amazing. Demos, videos, community, stat tracking, DLC, piracy protection, hacks prevention, and it's oozing with subtle style.
Steam FTW.
deaftly @ Feb 7th 2008 2:51PM
MS failed PC gaming.......yeah..... what OS do you run those games on again?
DangerMouse @ Feb 7th 2008 3:06PM
^Technically they did, since there's no licensing fee to run games on the Windows OS. Microsoft doesn't see any revenue from anybody releasing their own game or program on Windows. They've succeeded in Office programs, not so much for PC games.
WiNG @ Feb 7th 2008 4:20PM
I meant they failed by making Games for Windows crappy and Vista-only
James @ Feb 7th 2008 3:19PM
Ever since I got my intel Mac I've been loving Steam. Before I got sick of shitty Windows I bought HL2 and a CS:S which was left doing nothing for a couple of years.
Now I've got Orange Box, id super pack and the GTA collection. Even bought a new external drive just for Steam since MacDrive on Windows is a load of crap.
Grimmus @ Feb 7th 2008 5:32PM
At some point, you're going to have to stop sucking off Steve Jobs so you can actually get some oxygen to that brain. Either that or give it up for adoption to someone who will get some real use out of it.
James @ Feb 7th 2008 5:37PM
My brain has oxygen. I'm a college lecturer and game designer.
Maybe if I used vulgar terms like "sucking off" I could potentially be oxygen starved, maybe if I had some long standing grudge against an operating system too.
Ted @ Feb 7th 2008 3:30PM
Totally! I own Company of Heroes and Stalker retail, because they weren't announced on steam until after they came out, but I totally wish I could have them saved onto my steam account.
It's so practical, no discs to put into the machine, nothing to get lost, everything updates itself automatically, you can access the same games wherever in the world you are without bringing the physical copies with you, it records play stats for you, you can chat to friends while playing... I love steam!
And not only all that but it's free :)
Screw your MS!
LexMan @ Feb 12th 2008 8:51AM
I work for a Mac magazine and I can tell you now that Apple don't like gaming to be related to there computers. I was preparing a feature on game development using Mac's, when Apple sent a memo telling my editor if he ran the article they would stop sending us free stuff so the article never went to press.
Personally I like Mac’s and would switch to one full time if they took gaming seriously, but they don’t.
WiNG @ Feb 7th 2008 4:22PM
To anyone saying "Macs are for gaming, I'm running Windows on bootcamp etc"
That's not the point. Hell, I could say "Toyota Priuses aren't for racing" and I'd be right. But some kid could replace the engine, transmission, suspension, and tires and be doing 12 second quarter miles.
The point is that Macs are only a viable gaming platform insofar as they are rigged to copy PCs.
James @ Feb 7th 2008 5:33PM
I think the point is that a Mac and PC are the same machine, just Macs have (which I think Vista machines now also have) some fancy EFI boot up thingy in the BIOS. And a specific set of hardware to aid stability and speed up major system updates.
A PC is a Mac when it runs a system that doesn't get viruses, nagging OS' or performance drops on a major OS update... *shrugs*
I use both so I don't complain. XP for play OSX for work for me.
PointyThings @ Feb 7th 2008 8:04PM
Lets say Pepsi came out with a can that let it taste like Coke. Why would you ever need to buy Coke again?
Macs have the specs and the ability to match PCs at gaming. I totally understand the price point difference, but they've proved themselves that they can stand toe to toe or better with PCs. OS X isn't perfect but this feud shit needs to stop (generally speaking), it's a preference. I don't think PC people are stupid for using PCs, I'm writing this on a PC, some of us just don't want the hassle Windows brings, and now that I can get the best of both worlds, my next machine will be a MacPro (..when I can afford it).
Demaar @ Feb 7th 2008 4:25PM
Normally I groan inwardly not aloud. The news post and comments made me groan aloud several times. You're not as funny as the game you're quoting. Not even half.
Back to the topic at hand, this is excellent news. I'd like to see some Games For Windows numbers to compare...
Ted @ Feb 8th 2008 12:07AM
Meh, you don't have to actually be funny for other people if you're enjoying showing your own enjoyment of something.
Don't worry though, I'm not even angry.
Grimmus @ Feb 7th 2008 5:34PM
This is a funny coincidence considering I'm reinstalling Dark Messiah through Steam because I lost the DVD; Valve has my dumb ass covered.
Dan @ Feb 8th 2008 7:31AM
I see cake
could this all be a lie ?
NovaBlack @ Feb 11th 2008 9:03AM
lol so so wait... this is too funny.. last week joystiq ran an article that pc gaming was dying (despite having an average share of the market compared to every other console) And that didnt include digital distribution...
and steam alone has 15m accounts....
and WOW alone made like 1billion last year...
lol yeah.. yeah.. pc gaming.. dead hahaha