Should Microsoft bring more games to Steam? Here are the pros and cons

Last week, Microsoft and THQ Nordic worked together to bring five Microsoft exclusive titles to Steam, Valve'southward PC gaming service. This has spawned a discussion in the gaming community about whether or not Microsoft should keep this direction with other titles. Here are the pros and cons of that happening.

Pros: Outreach, turn a profit, and PC authority

If exclusives, especially popular ones like The Primary Chief Collection or Gears of State of war 4 came to Steam, they would likely gain a lot of traction. Earlier this twelvemonth. PC Gamer reported that Steam had 18 million players online at once, and Steam'south own site advertises 100 million agile accounts. Considering this is almost double the active user base of operations of Xbox Live, bringing these games to Steam is a huge opportunity for franchise outreach.

Selling to this many people also opens the door for Microsoft to brand a big turn a profit, also. This is especially true for anything Halo related, as PC-only gamers take been waiting to play Halo 3 and beyond ever since the release of Halo 2 Vista in 2007. Lastly, moving exclusives to Steam could help Microsoft repair their damaged relationship with PC players, who, for good reason, accept been extremely dissatisfied with the Microsoft Store.

Read: Modernistic back up for Xbox could exist coming

Cons: Royalties, weaker console authority

While the opportunity for profit is at that place for Microsoft, Valve does force publishers to requite a portion of sales revenue to them, and that's a large factor. A legal case involving SEGA and THQ in 2022 revealed that the specific amount Valve takes is 30%. There'south no information on whether or not that has changed, just in that location isn't reason to think it has.

Additionally, this would weaken Microsoft's say-so in the console market. Xbox One is already losing the battle with PlayStation iv in terms of exclusives, then bringing the ones it does take to Steam would finer be making the issue worse. It could exist argued that Xbox already does that with Xbox Play Anywhere, simply mainstream cognition of the Microsoft Store'south being is in brusque supply, and those that are enlightened of it, mostly know how bad it is.

Read: Xbox tin can play the long game with exclusives, but non forever

Determination: Bring them to Steam down the line

Ultimately, I think Microsoft should bring exclusive titles to Steam a few years afterward they release on Xbox. While Valve'due south royalty fees are unfortunate for Redmond, exposing franchises to over 100 one thousand thousand active users is worth it in the long run, both financially and authoritatively. While it is true that more Steam releases will weaken the Xbox I'south competitiveness, most games don't remain organization sellers two or three years post-launch anyhow.

Besides, Microsoft has been leaning towards a multiplatform focus for a while at present. They should capitalize on the potential that Valve's service brings to the tabular array.