Just weeks after a native Linux client launched for Valve's popular Steam digital distribution service, Linux users already make up more than two percent of all Steam users.
Steam for Linux launched last month with more than 100 games readily available for Linux OS users, including a multitude of Valve games like Half-Life, Counter-Strike Source and Team Fortress 2.
As part of Valve's monthly hardware and software survey for Steam, the company revealed that the platform nearly has as many Linux users as it does Mac users.
Linux users now make up approximately 2.05 percent of all Steam users, while in comparison Mac users account for 3.07 percent. Steam for Mac has been available since May 2010.
Notably, the Linux for Steam client had been available as a private (and later public) beta for some time before this official release last month -- hence, the platform hasn't strictly picked up all of these users within the last month.
That is still a very impressive adoption rate. I have signed up and activated a number of Humble Bundle games on it. I didn't get the chance to buy anything yet, but plan to at my earliest convenience.
It surprises me how surprised people are that a highly technical, geeky, passionate, affluent market segment like Linux users, may actually be a niche with legs. Steam on Linux is the flag bearer they've been waiting for, for years, and as a demographic group, they're highly evangelical.
Valve is just beginning to pour petrol on some embers that have been smouldering for a long time...
Agreed. Over a dozen years, actually... so they're pretty hot little embers!
This time around, however, we have the critical mass to support a number of developers from tiny one-dude outfits, to mid-sized mainstream studios. I hope that the new glut of indie games will result in more Linux gamers, as well as current Linux gamers becoming further committed to the platform, rather than less support for the existing devs as the market opens up to greater competition.
Right now, having a Linux port can be one way to differentiate your game from competing titles, even on a lower production budget. If the market growth outstrips demand, we'll see a mini-collapse. This will almost certainly happen (this kind of thing happens anyway, elswhere in video games). My key concern is whether or not the situation coming out of that builds to slightly higher sales than before it fell, in a general upward trend. Our success is so fragile right now that I frequently have a bit of concern over it's longevity.
All we can do is cross our collective fingers and support devs who take the chance...
Valve is just beginning to pour petrol on some embers that have been smouldering for a long time...
This time around, however, we have the critical mass to support a number of developers from tiny one-dude outfits, to mid-sized mainstream studios. I hope that the new glut of indie games will result in more Linux gamers, as well as current Linux gamers becoming further committed to the platform, rather than less support for the existing devs as the market opens up to greater competition.
Right now, having a Linux port can be one way to differentiate your game from competing titles, even on a lower production budget. If the market growth outstrips demand, we'll see a mini-collapse. This will almost certainly happen (this kind of thing happens anyway, elswhere in video games). My key concern is whether or not the situation coming out of that builds to slightly higher sales than before it fell, in a general upward trend. Our success is so fragile right now that I frequently have a bit of concern over it's longevity.
All we can do is cross our collective fingers and support devs who take the chance...