We've heard one developer say they didn't feel exploited by Valve, despite Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford's assertion that that's exactly what Steam does. Today, Ars Technica lets us hear from a few more.
Indie devs 2D Boy, Dylan Fitterer, Amanita Design and small but not indie dev Telltale Games all lent their voices to the "Valve's not so bad/Steam is awesome" tune when Ars asked if anybody was feeling exploited.
For some developers, Steam is actually quite the opposite of exploitation:
Ron Carmel, 2D Boy
"...Valve offers the most developer-friendly terms for digital distribution in the industry. Do you know the saying 'there's nothing better than a good king and nothing worse than a bad one'? I think it applies here, and Steam has clearly been a good king so far."
So, really, Pitchford — what's got you on edge? Is your Borderlands promotional slot not high enough on Steam's marquee queue?
Game devs speak out on Valve, Steam and conflict of interest [Ars Technica]