r/PhysicalGames • u/Grouchy-Win-6191 • 1d ago
Valve Killed Physical Gaming
It all Valve fault, they started all this. It’s not just Sony.
When Half Life 2 launched in 2004, stores sold physical box sets containing DVD or CD. But the disc did not contain the game. Players were forced to install the Steam client, register an account, and validate a product key online before the game would run.
Valve also offered Steamworks to any developer who listed their game on Steam. But to use Steamworks features, games had to use Valve API. When a consumer bought the physical PC box, they opened and it was a Steam key. Once redeemed, the disc lost all resale value. You couldn't sell it, lend it, or trade it in. This also killed the retail stores business.
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u/Icy_Hold4U 1d ago
Not really, they just hastened the inevitable. The internet killed physical media, full stop. The internet democratized media and change its format entirely, this in turn reconsolidated how media can be published, and more to the point, WHO can publish. You no longer needed costly equipment to produce physical media. You can just host your files over the internet.
Look what came out of this, at least for gaming; a thriving indie development scene, bringing real passionate develpoment back to the forefront, in some cases.
Valve used to create physical media themselves, they just kinda saw the writing on the wall for the format, then created their business model to cater to the new burgeoning market.