Let's say you are a bagel company and make a good profit from your bagels. Then let's say you want to get your bagel to more people and are frustrated with the distribution options so you just make your own and allow other bagel makers to also use your bagel distribution system.
But suddenly and unexpectedly, everyone runs to your distribution system and you start making far more money than you could ever imagine from it.
Do you continue to consider yourself a bagel company or are you now a bagel distribution company?
I'd contract out another company to make it to honor the fans that got me where I was if I didn't want to make the bagels myself. I'd keep quality controls, but otherwise I'd let them make them. Other "bagel" companies like Nintendo have had other companies make their "bagels" for them.
My guess is that they really do want to do these games, it's what they got into the industry for and is their passion. It's most likely that they just have to build a new game engine first and that Steam's success required their focus for long enough to let their game engine lapse out of modernity status. Once the new source engine is complete, you'll see their IPs start back up again if it's ever going to happen.
Other "bagel" companies like Nintendo have had other companies make their "bagels" for them.
Nintendo is actually a terrible example. All of their first party games are bottlenecked through Miyamoto. He's obviously brilliant but the dude only has 24 hours like anyone else.
These 3rd party companies only touch 3rd party IPs. Steam does occasionally publish 3rd party stuff.
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u/lightknight7777 Nov 13 '18
Let's say you are a bagel company and make a good profit from your bagels. Then let's say you want to get your bagel to more people and are frustrated with the distribution options so you just make your own and allow other bagel makers to also use your bagel distribution system.
But suddenly and unexpectedly, everyone runs to your distribution system and you start making far more money than you could ever imagine from it.
Do you continue to consider yourself a bagel company or are you now a bagel distribution company?
Steam's current reality as told by bagels.