If Steam go bankrupt, what about my games=?

As the title asks, what will happen if steam make some bad business decisions and close down the company? or even if steam gets sold to a competitor in the future, who buys steam, and close it down, in order to eliminate competition?

Will all my games be lost, or can I still get the games from the develepors, without paying again?

This question has been asked over 9000 times before. A simple steam forum search would answer your question.

Valve said they would patch the games to not require steam to run anymore so you could download them and back them up.

If steam goes bye-bye so do your games. There is some statement made years ago that if that should happen they would release patches to all the games so you could continue to play them, but this is NOT in their EULA and they are under no legal obligation to do so. Also, if they went belly up you wouldn't be able to download your games anyways so you would have to have them all downloaded and backed up prior to their closing down...so if you missed that window prior to their closing too bad so sad.

I happen to really like steam and use them a lot, but we are using it under good faith. Legally we are simply renting games from steam and if the service is gone, so are our games. They are under no legal obligation to provide us our games if something was to happen to the service.

The service is too profitable to die, it made something like a billion dollars in revenue last year, and it's increasing every year. Valve also makes more money per employee than Google or Apple, so I doubt they will sell out. If worse comes to worst and Valve does go bankrupt a competitor will buy out Steam and continue the service, it's simply too big to just 'throw out', it will always exist in some form.

Seeing that Valve is the single most profitable company per employee in the world, I don't think you have to worry about them going out of business. Ever.

Unlike other services, Valve would be willing to adapt to new formats and new platforms. So if there is a new, better way of playing games, you can bet Valve will be all over it.

There's been a million things in history that are too big/profitable/strong/ect to fail that have failed...Steam is no different. I don't think it will happen, and the chances are pretty slim, but it's a fact that Steam is subject to the same risks as any other company out there. I can think of a few different scenarios that could effect steam's chances of survivability...but it's the scenarios no one can think of that usually takes down a company.

Also, backing up your games to a 1TB HD would be useless if there was no steam to authenticate your game for the 1st time (all steam games require this). You would either have to resort to cracks or hope Gabe makes good on his promise...of course he is not legally obligated to do so.

Its like saying Google will shut down or Apple.

The day Steam will die, PC gaming will die with it

I cannot forsee steam failing in the next 10 years. In the event that they do, they have assured us that a patch will be released to allow us to use our games without steam.

Not a single thing would change if you have the games backed up since you can already play them without ever needing steam to authenticate the games. How do you think people downloading illegally play steam games. We would not get anymore great deals I guess that would change.

And no need to buy a hard drive just burn the game to a disk which is allowed for backup, they even have it built into Steam.

I cannot forsee steam failing in the next 10 years. In the event that they do, they have assured us that a patch will be released to allow us to use our games without steam.

Brendissimo35

We will probably lose all our steam games but on the bright side since since its all digital no physical damage can be done to your games so if a tsnumai or fire destroys all your things your steam games are safe.

Worrying about Valve going bankrupt is like worrying about Microsoft going bankrupt. It almost certainly won't happen.

In the phenomenally unlikely event it ever did happen, some other major company would surely take over Steam.

The question is how can Valve go bankrupt? If this gets replies, we will know the early symptoms of the bankruptcy.

Worrying about Valve going bankrupt is like worrying about Microsoft going bankrupt. It almost certainly won't happen.

In the phenomenally unlikely event it ever did happen, some other major company would surely take over Steam.

broken_bass_bin

The question is how can Valve go bankrupt? If this gets replies, we will know the early symptoms of the bankruptcy.

yourmajesty90

They either devalue their own product in some way, e.g. it becomes less reliable, hugely less competitive in terms of price etc. or a competitor comes along that offers a far superior service (in the same way Steam currently blitzes GFW, for example) that developers are willing to integrate into their games.

That's usually how profitable companies rapidly go out of business.

I use to hate steam, back in the day.. But Steam can be a powerful tool... Its a great interface, and they have fantastic deals, an their library of games expands every week!

I have grown to really love steam... I have a steam account worth close to $900, and prolly paid $250 for it.

Not to mention it is a superior management of resources and energy over retail copies... (which not having to pay for shipping, or the plastics for the cases, or the paper for the books, or plastics/films for the discs) they can afford to sell it for awesome deals like they do almost every week!

They are very profitable, this is the thing that matters if a company goes under, that and when (not if) the currency around the globe devalues into nothing, (but at that point gaming is something that is minor compared to other consequences.

Even if they were to go under, this is digital technology, meaning they could release patches not requiring Steam to run all of the games.. The question is, how honorable is a creature suffocating, trying to reach air, it will do what it can to survive (honorable or not, ethical or not) Companies going bankrupt are the same... Translation how much will their care for the pc gamer be, when they can no longer care for themselves, The patches can only be done if its done before the "going under" So they have to see it coming, lets hope when/if it happens, that they have the foresight and compassion to do so (legally obligated or not companys get around legal every hour of every day)!

In the long run, we are all dead.

I wouldn't worry about it too much if I were you. In the short term of at least, nothing is going to take Valve down.

As the title asks, what will happen if steam make some bad business decisions and close down the company? or even if steam gets sold to a competitor in the future, who buys steam, and close it down, in order to eliminate competition?

Will all my games be lost, or can I still get the games from the develepors, without paying again?

Walincas

This question has been asked over 9000 times before. A simple steam forum search would answer your question.

Valve said they would patch the games to not require steam to run anymore so you could download them and back them up.

simardbrad

Roflmao.

So you want me to get the question from the only place in the world, that is really die hard wishing everything will be pretty pink :P

Why do even have a legal system? its very exspensive, lets just ask the criminals if they did the crime or not, that will be much cheaper than have to pay policemen, lawyers and judges!

To the rest of you guys who answered my questions, thanks alot, I see you guys have different opinions wether we will be able to continue playing or not and that worries me a little, cuz I placed a good amount of $

This question has been asked over 9000 times before. A simple steam forum search would answer your question.

Valve said they would patch the games to not require steam to run anymore so you could download them and back them up.

simardbrad

um, its nowhere near in trouble now or the forseeable future.. so yeah

[QUOTE="simardbrad"]

This question has been asked over 9000 times before. A simple steam forum search would answer your question.

Valve said they would patch the games to not require steam to run anymore so you could download them and back them up.

Walincas

Roflmao.

So you want me to get the question from the only place in the world, that is really die hard wishing everything will be pretty pink :P

Why do even have a legal system? its very exspensive, lets just ask the criminals if they did the crime or not, that will be much cheaper than have to pay policemen, lawyers and judges!

To the rest of you guys who answered my questions, thanks alot, I see you guys have different opinions wether we will be able to continue playing or not and that worries me a little, cuz I placed a good amount of $

[QUOTE="broken_bass_bin"]

Worrying about Valve going bankrupt is like worrying about Microsoft going bankrupt. It almost certainly won't happen.

In the phenomenally unlikely event it ever did happen, some other major company would surely take over Steam.

Batang_X990

If valve goes bankrupt and steam shuts down, honestly I would stop gaming on my pc

If valve goes bankrupt and steam shuts down, honestly I would stop gaming on my pc

tutt3r

[QUOTE="Walincas"]

[QUOTE="simardbrad"]

This question has been asked over 9000 times before. A simple steam forum search would answer your question.

Valve said they would patch the games to not require steam to run anymore so you could download them and back them up.

TerrorRizzing

Roflmao.

So you want me to get the question from the only place in the world, that is really die hard wishing everything will be pretty pink :P

Why do even have a legal system? its very exspensive, lets just ask the criminals if they did the crime or not, that will be much cheaper than have to pay policemen, lawyers and judges!

To the rest of you guys who answered my questions, thanks alot, I see you guys have different opinions wether we will be able to continue playing or not and that worries me a little, cuz I placed a good amount of $

I was trying to be ironic, but let me make it more clear.

I will not be asking the question to the ones who run the service, because they are earning money and will probably say what is in their interest.

The reason I was using the criminal as a metaphor, was for the fun of it. If we ask a criminal if he did the crime he got convicted for, he will probably tell you he is innocent- and the same goes for Steam.

That is why I will not ask the question to the guys who run the service.

Valve wouldn't screw their customers.ATastyBurger

Valve going bankrupt is not farfetched at all; they are in one of the most volatile industries out there. Bankruptcy doesn't only occur due to low sales and things like that, there are a hundred variables.

if a hippo came into my room and crapped skittles in my face, what about my games?

my point is that its not likely to happen, in case anyone was wondering.

Steam isn't going anywhere. Why are you worried?

Im pretty sure this is in Steams FAQ. They say they will release a patch to disconnect all games from steam if this was ever to happen. Altho considering valve is the most profitable company in the world per employee I dont see that happening.

lol You should worry about world war III or the end of the internet first hahaha