11 replies to this topic

[Scout Derek]

(note, I say it at the start and at the end, a suggestion.)

I know I know, it kind of sounds like a dumb idea, and considering they'll have to bump up the price a bit more to compensate for the taxes they put on dlc, but I think it could be a good thing in the long run.

Steam has a MWO population too, and maybe they might have some $ in their steam wallets they've been wanting to use (but the steam performance packs are kind of meh, I'm going to be honest about that).

to put it short, add MC purchases and mechpacks to steam, and hence make it easier to use steam gift cards or even your steam wallet should you choose to (I know some of you use steam, don't deny it.)

take what you will, this was just a suggestion.

(also I've heard you can buy MC through steam already, but haven't tried. anyone know?)

[Deathlike]

On the consumer side, there is no benefit if the base price on Steam is MORE than the one on the website.

The only time this matters a lot less is when a Steam sale comes up.

This has a lot to do with what PGI thinks about the potential of profits through Steam in the grand scheme of things.

Edited by Deathlike, 10 January 2017 - 02:54 PM.

[Albino Boo]

It's not just taxes Valve takes a cut of all sales on steam

[Felicitatem Parco]

Albino Boo, on 10 January 2017 - 02:55 PM, said:

It's not just taxes Valve takes a cut of all sales on steam

Valve taking a X% cut from sales means PGI is still making 100-X% of a sale that would not have otherwise transpired. Everybody wins - steam players get MC content, PGI gets money, Valve gets money.

[Albino Boo]

Prosperity Park, on 10 January 2017 - 02:58 PM, said:

Valve taking a X% cut from sales means PGI is still making 100-X% of a sale that would not have otherwise transpired. Everybody wins - steam players get MC content, PGI gets money, Valve gets money.

You are assuming that the sale would not have transpired anyway

[Magnus Santini]

I am not sure a person can currently "buy MC through Steam," since I have not seen it in the Steam store, but I know that in the recent sale I was able to buy MC through the MWO website, and use my steam wallet as a payment method.

[Bombast]

Albino Boo, on 10 January 2017 - 02:55 PM, said:

It's not just taxes Valve takes a cut of all sales on steam

I believe what he's talking about is exactly that, sometimes referred to as the "Valve Tax," or "Steam Tax."

As for the suggestion... it offers no benefit to us, and opens PGI up to criticisms from the community, so I'm against it.

More selfishly, I have to point out that if something like this did happen, this forum would be forever flooded with complaints about said policy. And as that would cut into my time having fun posting in a... specific manner, I'm double against it.

Edited by Bombast, 10 January 2017 - 03:09 PM.

[Deathlike]

What you "could" do (and I'm totally not talking about those lame/weak Steampacks) is offer MC deals that are specific to Steam that have a natural bonus (like a free mechpack/mastery pack for a newer player) for obtaining it... filling in brackets that aren't served by the current MC purchasing system ($10, $20, $25).

That's all I can think of honestly.

Edited by Deathlike, 10 January 2017 - 03:56 PM.

[Wintersdark]

Prosperity Park, on 10 January 2017 - 02:58 PM, said:

Valve taking a X% cut from sales means PGI is still making 100-X% of a sale that would not have otherwise transpired. Everybody wins - steam players get MC content, PGI gets money, Valve gets money.

That isn't necessarily true. I buy stuff normally; if it was available on steam (and priced the same) I'd probably buy though steam because convenience (and because I'm irritated by Xsolla). But then PGI would lose Valve's cut which varies, but is NOT insignificant.


Still, I'd assume they'd get more sales just because there's got to be Steam users who don't ever come to the web site and wouldn't otherwise buy. No idea of the numbers there.

[Felicitatem Parco]

Wintersdark, on 10 January 2017 - 05:42 PM, said:

That isn't necessarily true. I buy stuff normally; if it was available on steam (and priced the same) I'd probably buy though steam because convenience (and because I'm irritated by Xsolla). But then PGI would lose Valve's cut which varies, but is NOT insignificant.


Still, I'd assume they'd get more sales just because there's got to be Steam users who don't ever come to the web site and wouldn't otherwise buy. No idea of the numbers there.

Nah, I think if MC and MC content were available in steam, then the influx of additional income would greatly offset any losses from people who would *rather* buy from steam *as opposed to* buying direct.

I see the potential fault you're drawing attention to, but I think the fault is dwarfed by the potential gains. Think of the volume of transactions. The additional purchases from steam will seriously outnumber the kinds of outlier examples noted in the quote.

Edited by Prosperity Park, 10 January 2017 - 05:52 PM.

[VirtualRiot]

I'm gonna be honest, if i could have spent the Steam giftcard my brother gave me for x-mas on just plain-ol MC, I would have.
Instead I spent it on some dumb game my girlfriend wanted. Tis life

[Scout Derek]

VirtualRiot, on 10 January 2017 - 07:32 PM, said:

I'm gonna be honest, if i could have spent the Steam giftcard my brother gave me for x-mas on just plain-ol MC, I would have.
Instead I spent it on some dumb game my girlfriend wanted. Tis life

This is pretty much what happened to me.

Mother's Husband bought me 2 $50 Steam Gift cards on Xmas. I spent some on a performance pack, but I really did want a Mechpack instead....