This is an interesting take, especially coming from a non-gaming focused tech website like Ars Technica. I feel like it’s been too long since people were truly hyped about half life 3 though, and this wouldn’t be enough, even if Valve did go through with it.
People are increasingly unhappy with windows though, and the EoL of windows 10 may push people to Linux anyways.
No. Exclusives suck for everyone in the long run. In this case, it would also be pretty heavily set against the Linux / FOSS ethos, too.
There won’t be exclusives. That isn’t good business for Steam or Linux.
As much of a Linux fanboy as I am, I just kinda hate platform exclusives in general when it comes to gaming.
Something fun could be Steam items you can only gain through playing the game on Linux, Like the promotional in-game items you got for playing TF2 on the launch of the Mac and Linux versions.
I think it would be cool as a freebie to steamOS users. Would encourage people to try out installing steamOS to get the game for free.
Could either be that they just need to try it once to claim the game, or the game is free to play as long as they stay on Linux/steamOS to encourage them to use it long enough to finish the game.
the obvious thing to me is just treating linux as the primary platform and treating windows like everyone else treats linux.
“yeah sure you can run it on windows if you want, try WSL or something i guess. good luck!”
Please do not make a SteamOS exclusive game. I love Linux and Steam Deck, but this is not a good idea to exclude Windows users from playing the game.
We already got half life 3. It was called half life alyx specifically to get away from the massive pressure that came with the meme.
Its also important to know valves strength is that they don’t need to pump out games, they make profit enough though steam. This makes sure they can put time in exploring new concepts and innovation and only release games that maintain the perception of excellence, which they could lose fast if they released a “mid” tier game.
What would be the point of actually making Half Life 3? The void caused by that game’s non-existence is too culturally important to ever replace!
To replace it with HL4
Crassius Curio says hi!
slithers away
Making HL3 only GNU/Linux exclusive would be the gigachadest thing ever done. Well even better than exclusivity. Make the game playable on windows but only with a downgrade in performance or need of emulation, like the whole industry has made with GNU/Linux.
Imagine if the Windows version requires WSL to work.
Exclusivity can eat my ass.
Horrendous idea, sorry.
If anything making it exclusive would just make your average Joe resent SteamOSWe all know Valve can’t count past two.
I’ll copy what I said on Mastodon
I don’t know, even though Valve are pushing Steam OS they still treat all their platforms equally, and I don’t think asking gamers to replace their OS (or install alongside their existing one) or buy a new PC in order to play Half-Life 3 is a good marketing strategy. Half-Life Alyx is a great example: as great a game it is, few people actually bought VR headsets to play it.
PS: I’m one of those guys who bought a headset for HLA, but I know I’m part of the minority here.
Also, make the names of save files case sensitive, and name them like:
- aaaaaa
- aaaaaA
- aaaaAa
- aaaAaa
- aaAaaa
- aAaaaa
- Aaaaaa
It’s more than enough to make HL3 a Steam exclusive. And make it run well on the Deck. If Valve really wants to gild the lily, they could put a little side-story just for the Deck’s controls. A follow-up to Aperture Desk Job, perhaps.
back when they were trying to do steam machines, i was saying that’s what they needed. even if it was just a limited time exclusive, like hl3 comes out on linux in june, and on windows in december, it could’ve done a lot to solidify their os and hardware scheme. now though? idk if there’s enough hype remaining around the idea of hl3, and steamOS is already a success due to handhelds, and proton has made it way more appealing to do games from linux in general, so i don’t think it’d be so dramatic of an effect, and they’d probably lose out on sales to people who’re really into windows.
all that said, exclusives are usually the deciding factor when choosing between systems. linux has never really had a ‘killer app’. nobody wants to develop a program exclusively for linux because of its small market share, and it stays at a small market share because its competitors have important exclusives that folks can’t bear to go without.
Yeah, stupid memes are exactly what we need. Just like the cybertruck was exactly the meme tesla needed, right?
I don’t know who the fuck even wrote this trash, and I’m not dignifying the article with a click to find out, but I’m dumber now just for having read the title.
Ars Technica is a pretty well respected tech news site, which is basically the only reason I considered sharing this to begin with. They cite that we know a new Half Life game is in development, and the critical role that half life played in the foundation of steam as a game platform in general.
Overall it’s a much better article than the title would otherwise suggest.