Who could have predicted in 2003 that Valve held in his hands one of the most important cogs in the video game industry? What was originally presented as a sort of ecosystem for the studio's games – Counter-Strikebut also Half-Life– quickly mutated into a real digital titles store, becoming the titan we know today. From now on, Steamthat's more than 93,000 games (a figure finalized in July 2024) for tens of millions of recurring players, with even a peak of 37 million players connected last July.
It is therefore thanks to the platform SteamDBwhich is responsible for referencing the entire database of Steam (and God knows it is big), that we learn that 18,813 games were released there in 2024. An absolutely gargantuan figure and the most important for the year that the platform has ever known. Valve. The previous record was held by the year 2023 with 14,311 games, itself beating that of the previous year with 12,381. In fact, apart from a regression in the year 2019, more and more titles are released every year on the virtual store.
So, good news or bad? If, at first glance, it seems difficult to complain about a profusion of video games, these figures also reveal a tendency towards overdose, leading inexorably to the commercial jungle and non-visibility. Because to hope to be seen in this anthill, you must meet the referencing standards established by Valve ; rules that are difficult to respect, especially for the countless independent developers or small studios with sometimes relevant ideas, but masked by the omnipotence of the big names who continue to dominate. Even today, the most played games on Steam are the tireless Counter-Strike 2, GTA 5, Dota 2, PUBG or Call of Duty : we will remember a new kid these days bearing the name of Marvel Rivalsbut produced directly by Marvel and the Chinese giant NetEase… and therefore not really out of nowhere.
Moreover, out of almost 19,000 games in 2024 alone, we can legitimately ask the question of the number of simple “experiences” modeled on concepts as wrung out as possible, precisely in the sole hope of generating some profits by surfing on trends commercial. Would the market be completely saturated, especially in a context of crisis where thousands of layoffs are occurring at the same time? Do you think we should regulate game releases on specific points, or change the rules of SEO on Steam to promote newcomers differently?
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