"Steam's chart was designed to communicate that more games than ever are seeing revenue of over $100,000 per year. This, were it so clear cut, would be splendid news. According to the chart, in 2020 just 3,000 games "earned" $100k, but by 2025 that number had reached 5,863. Let's call it 6,000 for ease. That means twice as many games are hitting this figure compared to five years ago."
"In 2020, that figure was an extraordinary 9,647-a number so high that it was becoming increasingly fraught for any smaller developer to have their game even seen by potential customers. In 2025, that number was...19,997. So as the number of games hitting $100k doubled, so did the number of games released in a year. Which, one could argue by percentages, is no progress at all."
"Secondly, this chart absolutely ignores inflation. You'd need to make $125,000 today to have earned the same in terms of sheer value as $100,000 in 2020, so it's entirely possible for a significantly higher number of games"
Valve presented data at GDC showing that profitable games on Steam doubled from 3,000 in 2020 to 6,000 in 2025, earning over $100,000 annually. However, this apparent progress is misleading. The number of games released on Steam also doubled during the same period, from approximately 9,647 to 19,997, meaning the percentage of profitable games remained flat. Additionally, the chart ignores inflation; $100,000 in 2020 equals roughly $125,000 in 2025 value. The data also includes games released in prior years, not just 2025 releases. These factors suggest Valve's presentation misrepresents developer success and ignores serious challenges facing smaller developers struggling for visibility.
#steam-platform-economics #developer-profitability #misleading-data-presentation #indie-game-market-challenges #inflation-and-revenue-analysis
Read at Kotaku
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