There is a reason for this. Steam gives you this "all is well and cared for package" from didtribution to accounting to billing.

It is -a lot- of work to put something like this up. Especially if you are "only" a creative developer. There are plenty of legal and financial pitfalls ranging from obligations, refunds, accounting, taxes and so on. Steam takes this away from the developer so he can focus on the imporant part: game making.

You can't just "whip up a paypal account and put the game on your homepage".

And for those really having a problem with Steam, just pirate the damn game after you bought it.

No, but then when has any DRM been impossible to bypass? The point is that the torrent doesn't automatically work. Anyone who's going to track down a keygen or something would otherwise be torrenting the game anyway.

Like Vampire Bloodlines?

Always funny to see everytime when someone asks for drm-free releases it goes to "you hate steam - stop bashing".

On topic: I fully agree with this letter. To give some developers some feedback is absolutely legit. Steam is a very good way (easy, cheap, most attention) to distribute games, but it shouldn't be the only way. Unfortunately there is a clear trend to steam-only releases. All the hype about indie games comes from versatility, it's okay and understandable to start with steam for the known reasons, but please don't stop to go for other distribution ways, especially drm-free. And regarding steam and drm-free: Maybe some games don't have real drm and you can backup them, but that you don't know in the first place and doing it isn't a very smart way.

You consider 2004 a 'new' game?

+1
Another +1, if the system allowed that.

so a game like Dear Esther or Dinner Date isn't "channeled creativity"? i'd say that games don't get much more creative than those two.

what i meant with my CoD reference was that unless you're willing to (occasionally) spend some money on more unusual games, we'll get more and more familiar IPs and less creative products. that's why no publisher will fund Tim Schäfer's Psychonauts 2.

it's a good game in its own right. i don't give a crap if it's been designed with console gamers in mind.

proof?

maybe there are a lot of gamers here that are grown up enough to realize you don't have to irrationally hate one videogaming system because you prefer another? i certainly am a console gamer. and a PC gamer. i love me some Red Dead Redemption, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Uncharted. know what i mean?

Nothing says that your Source game needs to be on Steam.

Psychonauts was actually a game. I spend plenty of money on unusual games just not unusual interactive movies.
Ah, so you've developed a game with the Source engine and know what Valve requires when licensing their engine?

Oh, I see. The 'hate what is popular' club is making its way on GOG too.

Activision, Valve, Blizzard... I wonder what next will be accepted on your list, clubbies.

The reason why Steam appears so much on the letter is basically because it is the best example of what I am trying to say. But it is not a letter against Steam. Just to make it clear, the two points of the letter are:

1. Steam is becoming too powerful and I keep seeing indies (or indie-likes) treating it as the only way to go. If you don't understand the problems that may arise, in particular for indie developers, from blowing up a distributor to monopolistic proportions, I can't do more to explain it to you.

2. DRM robs gamers of their independence to play games. I don't think I can be more clear here: if a game requires an online authentication to be installed, you depend on a company to play your games. Period. I don't care about offline mode or .exes that work without the client or small prices, that is irrelevant. I just don't want to depend on anybody to play games beyond a purchase and I think it is a serious problem for the medium the fact that some people hold the power to entirely shut games down. And the argument here is that people who have independence as their motto should understand this more than anyone else.

So quit the goddamned discussion about Steam technicalities already, this letter is not about that.

Again, your game doesn't have to require Steam at all.

Find me an indie game that was developed on Source that wasn't Steam exclusive.

Nope. Have you?

Find me an indie game that was developed on Source that wasn't Steam exclusive.