The policy of Steam has influenced the main trends of game development, gradually triggering the very competitive nature of games and the very game developers themselves. An open platform entails a large number of games available on the platform and tough competition from developers to make games stand out. This raised the importance of building a solid fanbase and good marketing so games can get the visibility they need to succeed. The developers, mostly indie, will discover that new and rather creative ways have started to increase their potential players' interest. Some of the visibility of Steam is inclusiveness, thus a big turn towards indie game development that, in return, gives room for the little developers to publish games and hit the world market. Indie developers are now using this democratization of publishing games. They have been accorded a platform where they can feel free to express their creativity and innovation, free from the conventional shackles that big publishers usually impose. Even though this is the case, the visibility problem still persists due to the many games that are available, showing how much developers need to take up community engagement more seriously and marketing strategically in order to survive on Steam.
Who are its main competitors in the digital gaming market, then? It is to realize, that which other companies own shares of the market in the gaming world of the internet?
In the high-stakes world of digital video gaming competition, Steam faces one major player competition in the form of publisher-specific launchers such as Battle.net, Ubisoft Connect, and EA Origins.
They achieved much of their success by developing exclusive content or first-party title launches, attracting particular devotees of certain game brands on the market.
In addition to ensuring long-term regular clients, that strategy helps the abovementioned platforms to avoid traditional revenue-sharing agreements with wider distribution networks like Steam.
While these competitors generally offer a much smaller list of games than Steam, their ability to offer exclusive access to popular titles is strong leverage in the potential user market, which either migrates or diversifies its gaming exposure. Such migration potential presumes a challenge both to the current market leader Steam, and informs upon the broader tectonic shifts in the digital gaming landscape. To sustain leadership, it must adjust and innovate continuously, perhaps by enhancing its own exclusive offerings or by enhancing aspects of its service that could counteract the appeal of these niche platforms.