More games released on Steam in 2014 already than during all of 2013

It is amazing how many people are up in arms about early access. Can someone please explain to me the downside?

This is the way I see it. I pre-order a copy of a new game coming out in the fall. I spend 60$. Ok, I am reserved a copy. That is good, everyone is fine with that. However, if the game company says, "'INCLUDED' with your pre-order you also get early access to an unfinished product and creative input into the development process," they are now corrupt and evil?

You lose nothing with early access, but gain the ability, yet you are not forced, to play the "unfinished" game. You can choose to wait until the fall, just like a normal pre-order, to play it, and nothing changes. You also gain the ability to usually voice your opinion about things you do and do not like about the current state of the game. Meaning when the game officially launches, you can possibly say you had a part in the development. Also keep in mind, many companies doing this are smaller, low-budget companies that need the money now to "continue" development rather than running out of money mid development and having to shut the whole project down.

If MML3 would have had paid early access, then we would probably be able to have that game in our collection right now. SSBB might not have had dumb-ass tripping mechanics if it had early access. I am not saying there are "no" downsides, but it is hard for me to see them and it seems to me that there are actually plenty of positives.

Most of it is paid "early access" stuff too...

Remember the good ole days when you didn't have to pay for game demos?

I used to look carefully at the ticker on Steam's homepage to see what interesting games were new or coming soon. Now that ticker often houses about 20 games, and I don't have the patience to go through them all.

But this isn't unlike the problem that most self-publishing outfits have. Google Play, the iTunes Store, and even comiXology can make it difficult to wade through all the selections and find compelling content. The answer will probably be that Steam has to separate its AAA games from it's indie Greenlight / Early Access stuff.

Steam seriously needs some form of quality control. They're allowing the store to be flooded with garbage. They also need a "new to steam" filtering option that way we can differentiate between actual new releases or older games that have been rereleased on steam. At this point the store front page is almost useless. Everything moves too fast other than the top sellers.

Of course. The flood gates are open on steam now.

Doesn't matter how broken, unfinished or unplayable your game is, on steam you can ask money for it.

Yeah I agree you cant have too many games. Steam just needs some quality control and better interface to find what you want without spending all day going through crap

That headline gave me cancer in the ass

Without a doubt the biggest issue isn't so much that there are too many new games, but that it's not as easy as it should be to become aware of them.

What was mentioned about the New Releases tab is very relevant, that tab should be displayed separately, maybe on the side, and display 20 games instead of 10, given the sheer quickness with which it moves.

Would also be neat if new releases that are tagged with things u have an interest in were displayed more prominently for you, like a personalized New Releases tab.

I like Gabe's view of letting anyone publish their games, but quality control does exist for a reason, so if they do away with Greenlight and basically let everything in, the current tools for discerning quality should be a bit more robust.

Half of all these games are just re-releases of older games anyway.

Too many games? Too many mudkips?

Too many games? Does Amazon sell too many products? The problem isn't the number of games. The problem is a terrible user interface that Steam needs to work on?

With better search, smarter recommendations, we can find the stuff we want to play faster. Right now it's frustrating because the filters are ineffective (everything is an rpg for example) and back-tabbing puts you back at the top of lists ignoring the place you were at in a list of 100 games. It's crap! I don't think there are too many games. I think Steam needs a redesigned user search system. Imagine if Amazon were that lame.

I don't want to limit the indie stuff. Heck I like a cheezy puzzle game now and then that most people hate. Like wise somebody else might like a cheap zombie fest that I would never buy. Don't limit choice. We all lose.

Steam doesn't release too many games, they release too many bad games. I like GOG better, they research the games they sell.

Too many low quality indie titles and early access games that go nowhere. I'm up for giving opportunities to new developers, but this is getting out of hand. Steam is looking like a store full of ambitious kickstasters promising the world and beyond. And usually not delivering

I wouldnt call early access scams ''games''.

I'd rather have too many games than not enough. The more competition there is, the better it is for us because developers have to work harder to make games that stand out from the rest. Unlike on PS4 where any shitty indie game will get undeserved attention.

i miss the old days when only AAA and middle sized games were released.

Yes, while I appreciate how open Steam is, I do wish titles had to pass quality control before being put in the store. Many publishers are just throwing their old games and mobile ports onto Steam now and it's flooding the market with many poor experiences.

The problem isn't more games. The problem is how you catalog them. They need a better system for organizing and finding what you want and than more won't be a problem. It will actually be better to have more.