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[Vieo]

I don't get it. Can someone explain the whole publisher thing to me and how Steam elminates the publisher?

What does the publisher do exactly? Market the game and get it put on store shelves? Couldn't a developer just make up it's own branch in the company to do the same thing?

 

[GDJustin]

A game's publisher is also typically its distributor, and that's the role that Steam elminates, for obvious reasons. Distributors are the ones that have the relationships with retailers and handle the physical logistics of getting a game from the pressing plant, to a wholesaler, to retailers.

Publishers also generally handle all PR and advertising for a title, although you'll often see these tasks be outsourced to special PR or advertising firms in smaller companies. If you're a member of the press and you have questions about a game, generally you go through the publisher and not the developer. They act as the mouthpiece. That role is NOT eliminated by steam.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

The publisher provides the funding, marketing, production, distribution, and the bureaucracy that oversees the development. Mostly, though, it's the money. Most developers aren't capably self-funded companies, like Valve.

 

[GDJustin]

The publisher provides the funding, marketing, production, distribution, and the bureaucracy that oversees the development. Mostly, though, it's the money. Most developers aren't capably self-funded companies, like Valve.

That's a very very good point. For most publishers a game is like an investment. They see a dev team with a project that shows some promise and say "ok, we'll give you the 5 million to finish it" then hope that the game does well enough for them to make a profit.

 

[vireland]

I don't get it. Can someone explain the whole publisher thing to me and how Steam elminates the publisher?

What does the publisher do exactly? Market the game and get it put on store shelves? Couldn't a developer just make up it's own branch in the company to do the same thing?

(You weren't kidding about starting a new thread...you did it before I finished the reply, so I moved it here)

Publisher generally gives a developer an upfront royalty keyed to a minimum number of units they expect to sell, and when/if that is exceeded, they pay the developer for each unit over the minimum.

The Publisher is responsible for getting the game on shelves and advertised well. It's not as simple as just going to a store chain and saying "how much ya want?" There's a tremendous amount of competition for shelf space, and a publisher with an established and powerful sales network with good retail connections is quite valuable.

Of course, once a franchise is established and VERY successful (see: Half Life), the developer can cut better deals and just get a distributor only, or do it themselves (see:Star Wars/George Lucas). Steam appears to be Valve's attempt to have a direct sales relationship with gamers, cutting out publishers, distributors, AND retail by delivering the game straight to your home via the internet. It should result in lower prices because you're cutting out layers of distribution, but somehow I think the money gained isn't going back in our pockets, but rather Valve's.