What is the state of the industry if Valve is laying off?

[Soleron]

enrageorange said:

richardhutnik said:

Soleron said:
Valve isn't really in the videogame business any more. Their revenue does not come from games.

The run Steam.  Steam is a core part of the PC gaming business.  And they are apparently still developing content.... or had been.  What does their revenue come from if not game stuff?

I think he means most of their revenue comes from selling other publisher's games rather than their own games though he worded it poorly if he that is what he meant.

I was rushed for time. Yes I'll expand on that.

Valve has very much deprioritised developing their own content. Their recent game (CSS) has nothing of the hype of Half-Life, TF2, L4D or Portal. Dota 2 is an unknown quantity for revenue since it's F2P and the bought components aren't essential to gameplay (like LoL) and aren't after it already made back its money (TF).

The things that Gabe speaks about for the future are non-game tools (Steam social features, Source film-maker, non game software via Steam), Big Picture mode and the Steambox platform. We are seeing a shift towards being a platform and general software company. Thus their condition isn't the same as the third party publishers whose fate is really in question at the moment. As long as PC gaming in general exists, even just indie games or as older titles continue, they will survive.