Former Valve writer says Gabe Newell has been pretty clear about Steam: “It’s an MMO”
AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek told a YouTube audience that Gabe Newell views Steam as an MMO, not merely a storefront. He explained that Steam’s leveling system, trading cards, profile decorations and gifting mechanics give players “agency” similar to role‑playing games, allowing self‑expression and progression within the ecosystem. Faliszek contrasted this with Epic Games Store’s focus on developer tools such as UEFN, arguing most players will not engage with those features and that Epic’s recent marketing attacks on Newell lack substance. He also criticized Valve’s community moderation as insufficient but maintained that the platform’s social loops keep users devoted. The comments came while Epic announced new updates to its own launcher and aims to attract a broader casual audience now.
💡 Why It Matters
- · Positioning Steam as an MMO creates a self‑reinforcing network that locks users in, giving Valve a durability advantage that simple feature upgrades cannot match.
