FS: A lot of major titles these days are using or will use Steamworks (Modern Warfare 2, Metro 2033, Mafia II, Civ V, New Vegas, others). Are you worried that there soon won’t be very many new games to add to your store?
Brad Wardell: Oh, absolutely I’m worried about it. I know publishers are worried about it, too, and who can blame them? I don’t think Steamworks is evil or anything; On the contrary, what Steamworks does is important, someone needs to be doing this.
It’s too bad Microsoft didn’t get their butt in gear and do this from the start because features of Steamworks are something that we game developers need. Stardock is doing Impulse Reactor; Elemental, I think, will demonstrate its parity with Steamworks. That said, I think it’s pretty ridiculous that a company the size of Stardock is the one having to put up the competitor to Steamworks.
If the entire industry decides they’re gonna use Steamworks, which in the short run [would be] good for gamers, as long as Gabe Newell is running Valve. I trust Gabe Newell, he’s a good guy, but then again, I remember when everyone loved Microsoft back in the ‘90s. If I knew for a fact that Gabe Newell was going to be in charge of Valve for the next 20 years, then screw it, I’ll use Steamworks, too, but I don’t know that.
