Steam’s old Greenlight service wasn’t perfect, but it produced classics like Five Nights at Freddy’s and Undertale. It’s time for it to come back.
Steam’s old Greenlight service wasn’t perfect, but it produced classics like Five Nights at Freddy’s and Undertale. It’s time for it to come back. Read More Gaming
Steam was originally developed by Valve to digitally distribute their own video games, including the then-upcoming Half-Life 2. Twenty years later, Steam has grown into the premier digital distribution platform for PC games. If any real-world place compares to Steam, it would be the Library of Alexandria. With a massive library of more than 100,000 games, Steam is simply too vast for even the most devoted gaming fans to ignore. And, like the Library of Alexandria, if Steam were to disappear, an enormous treasure trove of video games would be lost to time.
Steam’s impressive library has been built through numerous factors, but no method of adding games has been more influential than the Steam Greenlight service. Running from 2012 to 2017, Steam Greenlight democratically brought some of the most iconic games to the platform, including Five Nights at Freddy’s and Undertale. While Greenlight was far from perfect, its impact was undeniable, and it needs to be brought back. To understand why, one must first understand the history of how video games have made their way onto Steam.
How Valve Brought Games to Steam Before Greenlight
Before Steam Greenlight, Most Titles Were from Major Publishers
Valve was founded on August 26, 1996, in the U.S. state of Washington, where the game developer remains headquartered today, though its location has shifted from Kirkland to Bellevue. Gabe Newell, who co-founded Valve, was previously a Microsoft employee and lead the development of Doom’s Windows port. Valve’s first game, Half-Life, was published by Sierra and received strong acclaim for its innovations in the first-person shooter genre.
From there, Valve continued to produce hit after hit, with some of their non-Half-Life games earning even greater acclaim. However, as the video game industry rapidly evolved after the turn of the millennium, Valve had to adapt its distribution methods to keep up, particularly with the release of Half-Life 2. Sierra, the publisher of the original Half-Life, had shifted its priorities, and Valve had to consider the growing prominence of online PC gaming in the 2000s.
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Valve responded to these changes by launching Steam, first as a beta in 2002 and then officially in 2003. The first Valve game to require Steam was Half-Life 2, released on November 16, 2004. It also became the first major video game to be digitally distributed through Steam, an innovation that would inspire Valve’s future plans. The first third-party game to appear on Steam was Rag Doll Kung Fu, which was released on October 12, 2005.
From there, Valve began carefully curating non-Valve titles for Steam, focusing primarily on games from major publishers like Electronic Arts and Activision. Rarely did independent games make their way onto the platform. However, Valve, being the inventive company it is, recognized the growing momentum of independent game development throughout the 2000s and 2010s and began exploring ways to provide a platform for indie developers on Steam.
How Steam Greenlight Got the Greenlight
The Rise and Peak of Steam Greenlight
Valve launched Steam Greenlight in August 2012, following its announcement the previous month. Over the next five years, it became one of Steam’s most notable features. Steam Greenlight was designed to create a more democratic process for adding games to the platform, something that seriously benefited indie developers. The first game to pass through Steam Greenlight was McPixel, which was released on June 25, 2012. McPixel, with its anarchic humor and retro-styled graphics, exemplified the type of content that Greenlight helped bring to Steam.
With Steam Greenlight, independent developers suddenly found it much easier to make a name for themselves in the industry. Developers needed only to submit $100 USD to access Greenlight and hope players voted in favor of their game being published on Steam.
Steam Greenlight Game
Release Date
McPixel
June 25, 2012
Surgeon Simulator
April 19, 2013
The Stanley Parable
Oct. 17, 2013
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Aug. 8, 2014
Undertale
Sept. 15, 2015
At its peak, Steam Greenlight outperformed platforms like Xbox Live Arcade in the distribution of independent video games. Some of its higher-profile releases include Surgeon Simulator and The Stanley Parable, the latter of which began as a popular Half-Life 2 mod. Both games left their mark on video game culture. However, the impact of Surgeon Simulator and The Stanley Parable pales in comparison to that of fellow Steam Greenlight titles Five Nights at Freddy’s and Undertale.
Five Nights at Freddy’s was a deceptively simple horror game that grew into a massive media franchise which includes novels and even a live-action film. Meanwhile, Undertale became an instant classic, with its influence extending far beyond video gaming itself. At its best, Steam Greenlight proved it could shine a spotlight on some of the most hidden gems in indie gaming.
Why Steam Greenlight Ended
The Decline and Death of Steam Greenlight
Steam Greenlight was a beloved feature on Steam that helped many indie developers become big names the industry. However, while the service was popular, it was far from perfect, and a few glaring flaws ultimately contributed to its downfall. One of the biggest problems Greenlight was the lack of quality control for submissions. When Valve initally launched the service, they didn’t require developers to pay the $100 submission fee, and without any barrier to entry, a flood of low-quality games were able to join the service.
Even after the fee was implemented, there were mountains of shovelware submitted through Greenlight. The service allowed Steam users to vote on which titles would be published on the platform, which should have filtered out low-quality titles, but some developers used methods like bot voting to get their games onto the platform.
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Steam Greenlight launched in 2012 and ended on June 13, 2017, lasting five years. In its place, Valve introduced Steam Direct, which is still the primary method for independent developers to get their games onto Steam. Steam Direct was designed to the process of distributing a game on Steam. Developers still have to pay a $100 fee, but that fee can be recouped if a game earns at least $1,000 in gross revenue through Steam.
Any game can be published through Steam Direct as long as it follows the platforms rules and guidelines. The system is simple enough, but it’s proven to be a blow to indie developers looking to make a name for themselves. Now that games are no longer chosen by Steam players, even more low-quality games are flooding the platform, and it’s even harder for new titles to get noticed.
Greenlight Is Better for Players Than Steam Direct
Steam Greenlight may have lasted only five years before being replaced by Steam Direct, but it was far from a failure. Without Steam Greenlight, gamers may have never discovered titles like The Stanley Parable, Surgeon Simulator, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Undertale. It’s hard to imagine how different the gaming world to look without these influential titles. Steam Greenlight did have issues with quality control, but it brought great titles to the forefront and helped them get noticed.
For what it’s worth, there’s no shortage of great indie games on Steam today, with titles like Disco Elysium showing what can be achieved under the Steam Direct program. However, it’s still a shame that Steam Greenlight is no longer in service. Quality control will always be an issue on platforms like Steam, but Greenlight was a democratic system that brought modern classics into the limelight.
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Steam Greenlight should make a comeback in one form or another before it’s too late. Valve’s Steam Deck has been a boon to the gaming industry and has effectively brought many of the best Steam games to a handheld platform. Many indie games on Steam work well on the Deck, and because of that, these titles are accessible to an even wider audience.
If Steam Greenlight does return, Valve would, of course, need to implement some sort of quality control. Perhaps they could review games submitted through Greenlight before putting them up for voting, leaving the final decision in the hands of Steam players. This would be an undeniable win for all involved and would ensure that new indie games being published on Steam are able to find an audience.