Randy Pitchford, the man, trusts Valve, the company responsible for Steam. Randy Pitchford, the businessman and president of Gearbox Software, makers of Borderlands, may not. He calls the digital distribution service exploitative and a "money grab."
Why the harsh words? After all Gearbox and Valve have been tight in the past, with the former developing Half-Life expansions for the latter. Pitchford tells MaximumPC that, even though he loves Valve games, "There's so much conflict of interest there that it's horrid."
"It would be much better if Steam was its own business," he says. "It's actually really, really dangerous for the rest of the industry to allow Valve to win."
"I love Valve games, and I do business with the company," Pitchford notes. Borderlands is currently available for pre-sale through Steam. "But, I'm just saying, Steam isn't the answer. Steam helps us as customers, but it's also a money grab, and Valve is exploiting a lot of people in a way that's not totally fair."
Maybe Randy got up on the wrong side of the bed the morning of the interview. Maybe this is just one of his eyebrow raising "tall tales" of Valve. Maybe he's just got a game promote.
Pitchford's answer about who might be a better solution than Valve and Steam might surprise you. You can enjoy it at the full interview linked below.
Randy Pitchford Talks Borderlands, Piracy, and Why He Doesn't Trust Valve [MaximumPC via VG247]