Steam rises to 65 million active users, eclipsing Xbox Live


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Steam now has more than 65 million active accounts. The figure marks a 30 percent rise in players over the last year. The video game digital-download platform also boasts daily peak concurrent users of more than 6 million.

 

By far Steam's most-played game is Dota 2, with more than 500,000 daily peak concurrent players. The free-to-play game saw official release this year after a long beta period, and as the sequel to the hyper-popular Defense of the Ancients mod, was quickly exposed to an existing fan base: all of whom need a valid Steam account before playing the game.

 

Steam is now 10 years old. Valve used its 10th anniversary as a cue to sail into uncharted waters, announcing a new operating system, game controller, and range of gaming PCs in the same year its two major console competitors are releasing new machines. In contrast to Steam's figures, Microsoft's Xbox Live has 48 million accounts ? around half of whom reportedly paid extra for a gold subscription to play online in 2010 ? and Sony's PlayStation Network claims 110 million.

 

These networks are not direct analogs to Steam: where Valve's platform is built around the digital distribution of games themselves, Sony and Microsoft's still focus on providing an online ecosystem for games obtained through physical media. But these new figures do suggest that Steam doesn't have to worry about being eclipsed: its users on their own are numerous enough to make the service a worthy competitor. Combine those 65 million accounts with League of Legends' 32 million active and World of Tanks' 45 million registered, and PC gaming looks strong, even in the face of new console challenges.

 

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/30/5045830/steam-65-million-active-accounts-6-million-concurrent-users

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Well that is to be expected since PC has a far far larger user base than Xbox 360.  I wonder what criteria they use to determine an active user.  I know a lot of people who don't play actively all the time on steam but when they see a game on sale for a hugely discounted price they will buy it.  I'm sure a lot of us have a backlog of steam games yet to be played.  I would have never thought 10 years ago that steam would be where it is today.

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Dear Microsoft (Xbox),

 

Take note of how well Steam prices their sale items for video games.

 

Regards

 

PC Master Race.

honestly I never understood why Microsoft just doesn't buy Valve.  I'm sure Gabe will sell I will never sell but everybody has a price.  The company is only valued at what $2 billion?  If they buy steam but maintain their sales ecosystem they could then say they have the best PC and Console system.  It would also be a way for them to show love for the PC community which they have no shown in years because of the success of Xbox.

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Dear Microsoft (Xbox),

 

Take note of how well Steam prices their sale items for video games.

 

Regards

 

PC Master Race.

 

I don't get why people keep saying this.  I've had what, 6 free games now the past few months and the past few sales i purchased a bunch of games from 1.99 on up to a whopping 4.99.  They started having huge sales a few years ago.

 

Also, xbox has like 42 million paid subscribers..  but, still excited for steam.

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Dear Microsoft (Xbox),

 

Take note of how well Steam prices their sale items for video games.

 

Regards

 

PC Master Race.

Dear People that Complained About the Digital Game Console Market Microsoft Was Trying To Move To:

 

This is what they wanted to achieve.  Direct sales to consumers that would allow for Steam-like sales.

 

Regards,

 

The People That Understood Microsoft's Vision

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And this is why a steam box is going to be awesome. Game developers always seek the highest common denominator.

 

I think you mean the lowest common denominator which would yield the highest percentage of the population.

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I don't get why people keep saying this.  I've had what, 6 free games now the past few months and the past few sales i purchased a bunch of games from 1.99 on up to a whopping 4.99.  They started having huge sales a few years ago.

 

Also, xbox has like 42 million paid subscribers..  but, still excited for steam.

 

You must have never looked at steam then. All it takes is a simple look at a steam holiday sale, then a look at an xbox live sale at the same time to see why microsoft could use to learn from steam on how to do a proper sale.

 

 

 

Dear People that Complained About the Digital Game Console Market Microsoft Was Trying To Move To:

 

This is what they wanted to achieve.  Direct sales to consumers that would allow for Steam-like sales.

 

Regards,

 

The People That Understood Microsoft's Vision

 

You're awfully naive if you think having only one source for a game(microsoft themselves) would have resulted in lower prices and better/bigger sales.

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You must have never looked at steam then. All it takes is a simple look at a steam holiday sale, then a look at an xbox live sale at the same time to see why microsoft could use to learn from steam on how to do a proper sale.

 

 

 

 

You're awfully naive if you think having only one source for a game(microsoft themselves) would have resulted in lower prices and better/bigger sales.

 

You must not have an Xbox.

 

I have steam and XBL and the sales have been great on both.

 

Just this past summer sale, these games were on sale from $1.99 to i think $19.99 being the most expensive

 

Assassin?s Creed 3

Bioshock Infinite

Borderlands 2

Brothers in Arms: Hell?s Highway

Bulletstorm

Command and Conquer Red Alert 3

Crysis

Crysis 3

Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga

Dragon Age Origins

Far Cry 3

Far Cry Instincts Predator

Forza Horizon

Gears Judgement

Hasbro Family Game Night 3

Hitman Absolution

Kinect Sports 2

Left 4 Dead 2

Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes

Lego Lord of the Rings

Mass Effect

Max Payne 3

Metal Gear Rising: Revengence

Monopoly Streets

Perfect Dark Zero

Prey

Rockstar Table Tennis

The Orange Box

Tomb Raider

Witcher 2

WWE 13 GonD

X-com: Enemy Unknown

 

That's not a bad sale

 

Also, there is an app dedicated to finding daily deals, holiday specials and you get inbox deals.

 

And of course, 2 free games a month

 

i could go on and on, but obviously it doesn't matter to you.

 

just for example sake:

 

http://majornelson.com/2013/07/02/xbox-live-ultimate-game-sale-day-2-2/

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You're awfully naive if you think having only one source for a game(microsoft themselves) would have resulted in lower prices and better/bigger sales.

I'm not going to resort to name calling but you don't think Microsoft sees the PC as a competitor, especially after the demise of GFWL?  Microsoft being a single source is no different than Valve being a single source.  Microsoft wouldn't be competing with Gamestop and Best Buy, they would be competing with the PC counterpart of the game.  Buy it on sale for $25 on Steam or $25 on the Xbox?  It would make people stop and think.

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You must not have an Xbox.

 

I have steam and XBL and the sales have been great on both.

 

Just this past summer sale, these games were on sale from $1.99 to i think $19.99 being the most expensive

 

That's not a bad sale

 

Also, there is an app dedicated to finding daily deals, holiday specials and you get inbox deals.

 

And of course, 2 free games a month

 

i could go on and on, but obviously it doesn't matter to you.

 

I do have a 360, and that sale then was probably the biggest i've seen on the thing in the 2 years i've had it. Even so, it still pales in comparison to steam sales. On a big steam sale just about everything in the store will have a discount of some sort, not just a small portion of it. On a big sale you could find just about any title you want on a discount, even titles that aren't big name titles or recently released.

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I don't get why people keep saying this.  I've had what, 6 free games now the past few months and the past few sales i purchased a bunch of games from 1.99 on up to a whopping 4.99.  They started having huge sales a few years ago.

 

Also, xbox has like 42 million paid subscribers..  but, still excited for steam.

 

That said, in the same space of time how much did you spend on Xbox Live fees?

 

honestly I never understood why Microsoft just doesn't buy Valve.  I'm sure Gabe will sell I will never sell but everybody has a price.  The company is only valued at what $2 billion?  If they buy steam but maintain their sales ecosystem they could then say they have the best PC and Console system.  It would also be a way for them to show love for the PC community which they have no shown in years because of the success of Xbox.

 

Valve are successful because they're not Microsoft, they don't have to deal with clueless shareholders, dumb managers or the level of corporate bureaucracy that comes with being the size Microsoft is. Microsoft buying them would be a huge waste of money as they'd instantly kill everything that makes them valuable in the first place.

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I do have a 360, and that sale then was probably the biggest i've seen on the thing in the 2 years i've had it. Even so, it still pales in comparison to steam sales. On a big steam sale just about everything in the store will have a discount of some sort, not just a small portion of it. On a big sale you could find just about any title you want on a discount, even titles that aren't big name titles or recently released.

 

As i said earlier, MS has daily deals, their sales have been more frequent (agreeably non existent prior to about 4 years ago) and unlike steam, you can also go to a gamestop and pickup used games dirt cheap too..  i like both.. i own a bunch of steam games and a bunch of summer sale games.  Right now, on the 360/ps3 and steam, it's awesome to be a value gamer.

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That said, in the same space of time how much did you spend on Xbox Live fees?

 

You don't need Xbox Live to enjoy the sales that are online.

 

 

But if you want to start nitpicking costs, how much money have you spent on electricity? uprgading your pc? buying addons? buying  hats? Eating food?

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isn't it funny how one of the most played game online is dota2 when its completely free? Now that's amazing

 

I dont see whats unusual. It's free, therefore people have no reason not to try it out, hence the high number of players.

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Facepalm, there are many games on steam that uses Xbox Live, like Fallout 3, and Grand Theft Auto IV.

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yes it's free, but that doesn't mean its everyone's cup of tea : dota2 is super competitive, knowledge and skill driven game, its brutishly psychological. If all free games on steam has 500k concurrent players, then this would make sense, but it doesn't. It comes purely down the level of fun, detail and moba goodness that no other game offers even closely. Dota2 is a hit because Valve and icefrog understand the consumer is, and who dota2 can appeal to. The Ti3 and all other events of dota having millions of streams tells you one thing : Gamers know a good game when they see it, and the numbers don't lie no matter how you flip it. Xbox live has yet to even close to the beauty that is Valve, and their sales. Year after year, Steam sales. Humble Bundle, you name it, Steam and Valve speak the consumers, they know what people want. 

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Dear People that Complained About the Digital Game Console Market Microsoft Was Trying To Move To:

 

This is what they wanted to achieve.  Direct sales to consumers that would allow for Steam-like sales.

 

Regards,

 

The People That Understood Microsoft's Vision

honestly, the level of value from Steam sales will never see the consoles. It's two different market/ sales strategies. Steam appeals to the common man on a regular basis and at constant discounts, seasonally, annually and special packs: they do dlc specials and multiple ppl packs. Xbox Live doesnt even come close to value, because they operate in a closed off system, for them its all about profit and maximum value, not consumer value. Steam games initially peak at original prices and then literally a month or so later there's a special on that game, always like that.

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You don't need Xbox Live to enjoy the sales that are online.

 

 

But if you want to start nitpicking costs, how much money have you spent on electricity? uprgading your pc? buying addons? buying  hats? Eating food?

 

As I understand it, you do if you want to play those games online.

 

So yeah, it's perfectly reasonable to factor in the XBL sub feed.

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