„It would be a slow death spiral.” Steam’s future worries not only players. Devs also wonder what will happen to Valve without Gabe Newell

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Players aren’t the only ones questioning Steam’s future. Developers, including the creator of the Saints Row series, are also concerned about what will happen to the platform once Gabe Newell steps down.

Chris Stockman recently discussed why the newest game in the popular sandbox series didn’t perform as well as expected, and shared some thoughts on what we might see in *Grand Theft Auto 6*. During the interview with Esports Insider, he also briefly addressed worries players have about Steam and Valve, especially considering the possibility of Gabe Newell stepping down.

A crazy Microsoft scenario

Even if you don’t love Steam, it’s become central to PC gaming. Its increasing popularity and constant improvements have made it a key part of the PC gaming world.

As a PC gamer, I’ve always been a little worried about how much we rely on Steam. It’s not just about people calling it a monopoly, but also about what happens with Valve in the future. Gabe Newell, the guy who runs Valve, isn’t getting any younger – he’ll be 63 soon! Everyone jokes that Steam literally runs on his heartbeat, but realistically, we’re all wondering what will happen when he steps down. Some think nothing will change since he’s already mostly retired, but others fear Valve might even sell Steam to another company, though that doesn’t seem very likely to me.

Stockman thinks these worries are legitimate, especially considering the possibility of a company like Microsoft buying Valve. While it might seem unlikely given Steam’s success, the platform is estimated to be worth around $10 billion. That’s significantly less than Microsoft paid for Activision Blizzard or what Electronic Arts cost, but Stockman questions if that valuation is accurate. He suggests that acquiring Valve could actually be *more* expensive than buying Electronic Arts.

He estimates the likelihood of a sale at between 40 and 60 percent, but it would require significant unforeseen circumstances, or a major error by Valve or Gabe Newell, to actually happen. Right now, the company has no motivation to sell itself or Steam.

Honestly, I think it’s unlikely, maybe a 60/40 chance. They’re incredibly wealthy and essentially control how most PC games are distributed, giving them a huge advantage. It would take a really unexpected event for things to change, and I can’t even imagine what that event would be.

Honestly, as a gamer, the thing I keep wondering is what’s going to happen to Valve after Gabe Newell eventually steps down. We’re all hoping it won’t be for a long time, but it’s always in the back of my mind. And apparently, according to Stockman, a Microsoft takeover of Steam would be a disaster – he thinks it would basically kill the platform slowly. That’s pretty worrying to hear!

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2025-10-17 15:03