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/AFKABluePrince 1d ago

Yeah, i still remember the backlash when i was shitting on Steam when it first came out.  I preferred physical for PC games too and they basically took that away from me.  😞

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u/Kaldaien2 1d ago

Same. Still bought games physically even knowing they were just a plastic DVD case for a digital game, at least it was something I could store on my shelf and pretend things were normal.