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And I was wondering when someone was actually going to criticize them over this.
The new issue of the Official Playstation Magazine has Borderlands developer Gearbox's president Randy Pitchford letting Valve have it about their stubbornness about PS3 development, or lack thereof. Pitchford didn't pull any punches here, saying that Valve's position is “weird” (before praising the system as a challenge that reminds them why they are game developers), and calling Doug Lombardi and Gabe Newell fanboys that were making fanboyish comments against the PS3. He also said that the PS3 version of the Orange Box had better visuals.
The biggest wound that Pitchford made, though, was saying why Valve didn't update the PS3 Orange Box: “You've supported that, you've added all this content to Team Fortress 2, and you've left us hanging. It's hard to accept that genuinely, because I know the business, I know you guys make half the money on the PS3 version because you've got other fingers in the pie, and other developers getting a cut. It benefits you if nobody buys that, and only buys the PC version, because you make the most money. There's this underlying sleaziness."
Before the usual Valve fanboys come in and try to defend Valve's position on the PS3 as opposed to the PC and 360 (wouldn't that make them 360 and PC fanboys, in that case?), let's just tell you that Gearbox is completely right on all levels, and Valve would do good to listen to Gearbox, because they are the best thing to have happened to Valve in a while.
Let's first get this out of the way: Gearbox (and Pitchford) have something to lose by saying this. They have games that are on the Steam service (which is spearheaded by Valve), and we suspect this is why other developers who benefit from having games on Steam haven't criticized Valve on much of anything yet (we wish they would grow a fucking pair). They are too afraid that Valve might cut them off. And to be honest, Valve could've done it long ago to Gearbox, since Pitchford has trashed Valve before about Steam. When you have things on Steam, and you are willing to bite the hand that feeds you, you are either asking for it, or you truly do believe in what you're saying and you think that you can make a difference by bringing it up in public.
For Pitchford, it's the latter. I don't think he would risk losing a lot on something that is being touted as successful (Borderlands is doing very well on all platforms) if he didn't think there was something to it. In this case, there is. No one has to look any further than the recently released Uncharted 2 to see that, but what about Killzone 2, inFamous, and LittleBigPlanet? How about Metal Gear Solid 4, Heavenly Sword, or Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2? Those game, and some multiplatforms such as Madden 10, Dead Space, Mirror's Edge, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and NHL 10, have proven that if the programmer is up to the task, a lot can be done on the PS3.
What Pitchford was trying to get at by saying that it should be a welcome challenge was that developers should thrive on taking on a new and unexplored venture, because the more you take it on, the less “difficult” it seems to be. Let me give you an example: say you were a web programmer and only new basic HTML code. Then you look at a page that has a lot of cascading style sheets, or CSS, that you have never seen before. You've never seen CSS before, so you don't know exactly what they do, and thus, it looks difficult to you. However, once you get your feet wet with it, you find out that CSS is just a simplified form of HTML, and just a different way of doing what the basic stuff you already know has done.
You become a better web designer for having taken on that task, and because of that, you now have the knowledge that can trickle down to others that need to know that. You can help others in taking the plunge. Same thing here. How many programmers that have gotten their hands dirty with the PS3 have had a bunch of success with it (by that I mean, REALLY get their hands dirty)? MGS4 is a firm example of that. Pitchford thinks that Valve is being childish by continuing to take the position they do on the PS3, especially when the argument is more than moot now according to several developers, and the PS3 has been getting the huge surge they have been getting all year that was only accentuated by the price cut and new form factor, and he would be right.
The most damning of the comments was the one I eluded to at the top of the article, though. EA was the one porting the Orange Box, and it was eluded to as a very bad port (to which Pitchford didn't fully agree with). What he said was that because Valve would have to share revenue with EA from the DLC and updates, they didn't want to update the PS3 version of the Orange Box. This trickles down, as well. They don't want to spend the money to hire PS3 developers (c'mon, you think that as well as the overrated Left 4 Dead and their other games have done, they would have enough money and enough exposure to be able to successfully TAKE that risk?), and they don't want to outsource the game because they wouldn't be able to take all the profits.
In other words, Pitchford thinks Valve is greedy, and seeing how it makes sense considering their continued stance on the PS3, he may have a point. The only caveat of the argument is the whole debacle over Valve being angry over having to charge for DLC of its games on the 360 (because Microsoft doesn't give away anything on their XBL Marketplace and requires all developers to charge for DLC over the Marketplace). This, however, begs the question to be ask as to why they don't look at what Eidos has been doing with the free DLC for Batman: Arkham Asylum.
The reason Eidos makes it exclusive for the PS3 is probably because of the same reason Square Enix is not giving Final Fantasy 14 to Microsoft right away, and why Valve was bitching: because of the numerous fees that are imposed on people on XBL before you even GET to the game. So why isn't Valve seeing the PSN Store as a good place. Develop on the PS3, and they wouldn't have to charge people for the DLC content they want to put up (and don't have to worry about the $50/year one would have to pay Microsoft to play your game online). Maybe Valve was just angry that they wouldn't see any of the money they would have to charge (Microsoft isn't exactly a charity about that kind of stuff, either).
However, when you see where Pitchford was getting at, you see how this is more than just some guy making a “bad move” (it wasn't to begin with). Pitchford comments should be heard with open ears, and Valve needed to hear it. Sadly, the way the gaming media works, instead of Pitchford being praised (he will by PS3 owners and gamers with BRAINS), he will probably be ridiculed by those with nothing more than a bone to pick about the PS3 (because you HAVE to hate the PS3 to be a Valve supporter, apparently). This story needs to stay in the news, and Gearbox needs to be Valve's savior. And no, Valve can't just “let Gearbox go”, because doing so will just prove that they were too worried about Pitchford's words being correct, or were scared of being exposed (which they were).
So, Valve, how about it? Are you going to give this some thought this time, or are you just going to act like the cowards you always have been about the PS3? Gabe said in the recent Gamespot interview that they were getting a lot of requests to develop on the PS3. Are you guys that willing to continue to turn your backs on the fastest growing install base? Who will you prove correct: Pitchford or the HipHopGamer?
I'm not using the pics to make fun of Gabe's weight (that's too easy to do). I just thought they were funny. I apologize if it seems like I'm dogging on the man's weight.
Also, yes, I AM aware about what site originally reported on the Pitchford quotes. I will NOT link to them because the site, besides reporting on this, has been very flamebaitish about talking about the PS3. I will not tell you the name of the site nor the address to GO to the site. Search for it yourself if you want to find it, since I would rather not give them anymore hits. Hint: they've made a claim that GTA4 DLC would outsell Killzone 2 in their podcast.
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Isn't there enough other games to play out there? Why care what Valves does or doesn't want to develop for, whether they are "lazy" or not, or anything else here? Remind me why I am supposed to care.