Web3 Gaming on Steam

Annaz -

With new Web3 games being listed on Steam, I’ve started adding Web3 friends to my Steam friends list. Did you know what I found out?

Even in the web3 space, casual gamers only play on Steam! Everyone’s scared of downloading from other websites!

But why do you want to list your games on Steam?

The Steam Effect

Home of PC Gaming

It’s not Consols versus PC. It has always been Playstation vs Xbox vs Switch vs Steam

Metal Slug available on PS5/4, Xbox X/S, Nintendo Switch and Steam

If you’ve been playing PC games in the last 20 years, you may have seen how Steam rose to its success. Other launchers started popping up. We have EA Origins, Blizzard Battlenet, Ubisoft UPlay, and the biggest competitor Epic Games.

Here’s the kicker, each of them lost and came back to Steam.

  • Assassin’s Creed was on UPlay only, now on Steam since April 2008
  • Sims was only available on EA Origin, now on Steam since September 2014
  • Overwatch was on Battlenet, now on Steam since August 2023

Epic is the only one that has been able to compete. And that’s just due to Fortnite’s popularity. They’re still giving out free games till today to get gamers onboard!

Better Quality Games

An important feature of the Steam store is that there’s a refund policy. Games bought can be refunded if you have played for less than 2 hours. If you don’t like the game, you’re free to return the game. No questions asked.

This policy has resulted in game developers planning Steam releases Carefully. You need to focus on the quality of the games. You need to hook the players in for at least 2 hours from the start.

The First-Time User Experience (FTUE) for games on Steam has drastically improved because of this. Indie games especially will ensure they have good tutorials in place to hook new players to compete against AAA games.

Steam Refund Policy

Steam Events

If there’s one thing Steam is known for, it’s their Steam Sale and Festival Events!

Steam Sales helps fully release games to capture more audience. But the Steam Festival Events help new games instead. This is how it works:

  • Register your game for the Steam Event
  • The game’s Steam page shows up on the front page of the Steam Store
  • Gamers wishlist the game to keep track of the release
  • Gamers are notified on the launch day of the game
  • Gamers who have yet to buy will always be reminded during future relevant Steam events and sales
Steam Events Listing

Wishlists converted to sales vary for each game. But many developers have come up with minimum figures you need before expecting to release the game.

Here’s an example from Impress which is in similar views to other game developers in the space:

  • Have a minimum of 10,000 wishlists
  • 20% conversion to sales is usually during the first week
  • Put your game on sale from time to time, but not so early
Impress Steam launch guide

Web3 Games on Steam

If you did not know, there are already web3 games listed on Steam. Here’s a few example of games that are listed on Steam but using different strategies to get sales.

Champions Ascension

The game uses its Steam listing to redirect gamers to its website and Epic Launcher.

  • It is currently playable on Epic, but there is no information on when it may be released on Steam.
  • Assets are already available to be purchased and tradeable on Polygon network.
Champions Ascension Steam Page

Castle of Blackwater

The game uses the most straightforward strategy to list on Steam.

  • They already have 10,000 wishlists as of now. The plan is to increase this until its Steam launch in Q1’2025.
  • The team has been working closely with Valve to make sure they aren't breaking any Terms of Service.
  • Alpha version playtest is made available on HyperPlay.
  • Assets are available for purchase and tradeable on the Beam (AVAX) network
Castle of Blackwater Steam Page

RIFTSTORM

Riftstorm made waves recently by getting their game on the Steam Storefront page

  • The wishlist figure isn’t disclosed, but the peak number of users during playtest was 1,270 players.
  • The alpha version playtest is done on Steam.
  • No in-game assets are available for purchase or trade yet.
RIFTSTORM steam page

Oh Baby! Kart

This game currently has the most complex and well-thought-out marketplace I’ve seen.

  • The game launched Free-To-Play on Steam on 8th October 2024.
  • It’s pretty much still in early access but isn’t tagged as such on Steam.
  • Assets are available to be purchased in-game on Steam and via the website with ETH.
  • Assets are tradeable on OBB platform via BP currency (non-tradeable).
Oh Baby Kart Steam Page
Assets available to be purchased in-game via Steam
Assets available to be purchased on website with card or Ethereum
Assets available to be purchased and sold via BP currency (non-tradeable)

Getting games on Steam

Are you curious about why web3 games are on Steam even though the policy disallows it?

It’s because games are treading lightly to ensure the policy is adhered to.

My experience in inquiring about the specific details met with a stop as Steam replied to me stating everything is on a one-to-one basis. You’ll need to tailor your game accordingly based on discussions with Steam.

I guess that its similar to how adult (18+) games were previously banned on Steam. Valve is still currently assessing how to allow Web3 on Steam while protecting its users.

Now that you know web3 games are on Steam, let me give you something to think about. Do you think web3 gaming mainstream adoption will happen without them being available on the biggest Game Store to exist?