Steam Virtual Console

I’d like to draw some attention to an overlooked aspect of the retro game re-release market: digital PC sales. Console gamers and console game makers often go on pretending that the PC market doesn’t exist, as seen by labeling certain games as “console exclusive” when they are exclusive to only one console platform, yet still release on PC anyway. Of course, there are plenty of reasons why the typical console gamer might not give PC much thought. But in light of the Wii U and 3DS eshops impending closure, I’d like to draw attention to the digital storefronts on PC.

Gone too soon

I’ll be looking primarily at Steam here, since it’s share of the PC game market is colossal, but the situation is largely similar on platforms like Gog, Epic Game Store, and EA play, just with far fewer games listed. The main reason Steam is most interesting is it’s longevity. Steam launched officially in 2003, and is still going strong with no signs of slowing down after 19 years. The 3DS eshop will be closing after 11, and the Wii U after 10. Games that were listed on Steam in 2003, such as Impossible Creatures are still available for purchase. With all the conversation about game preservation surrounding the closure of console-specific storefronts, I think more people need to be thinking about how PC doesn’t seem to have problems on the same scale. In a lot of ways, when it comes to digital sales, PC games remain available to the public for sale much longer.

That’s not to say that there aren’t issues. Games do get delisted from Steam, after all (list of delisted steam games). The difference lies in the fact that this happens on a per-game basis, not because the entire service became unavailable. Games might be delisted because intellectual property used in the game had restrictions, even a time limit on its use, as with the 007 games or Marvel ultimate alliance. It is worth noting that many delisted games are replaced with updated versions, which, while different, usually retain most of the content of the original. While this may be a problem for overall preservation, it may not matter much to the average consumer. This isn’t by any means a solution to the issue of preservation, but it PC digital stores tend to make games accessible to more people for a longer time than consoles.

For their part, PC gamers may not be as interested in retro gaming, especially games from older consoles. or so many would assume. However, you’d be surprised how many older games have been ported to the platform long after initial release. Most recent retro collections (such as Castlevania Collection, the Disney Afternoon Collection, or SNK 40th Anniversary Collection) and remasters (Grandia HD, SaGa Frontier, Voodoo Vince) that hit consoles make their way onto steam as well, but the store also hosts a variety of standalone emulation-based re-releases: games formerly exclusive to the Super Nintendo (Dragon View), Xbox ( Sudeki), Dreamcast (Jet Set Radio), Game Boy Advance (Blender Bros) and even the CD-i ( Mystic Midway: Rest in Pieces) are all for sale on Steam. The features of such games are not at all standardized however, with features like rewind, save states, video filters, etc. varying with each individual game. As with PC gaming in general, users are expected to do their own research to determine if the product is worthwhile to them. This is particularly true for older PC games, which may not include an emulator at all. As an example: I had to run Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in compatibility mode for it to be playable, while KOTOR II did not require this, and had full steam workshop support and achievements implemented. Still, the lack of standardization is probably what made at least some of these releases possible, so beggars can’t be choosers.

There is one problem I want to highlight which would likely be easily fixed if it was brought to Valve’s attention. Steam has no effective way to actually search the store for “retro” games as we know them. There is a retro tag on the steam store: but it gets applied liberally to new Indie games. Anything with pixel art is liable to be listed as “retro”. This is where Steam’s sheer size and scope is its downfall. In an effort to make as many games widely available as possible: valve has foregone much in the way of curation. While the some tools have been rolled out like the discovery queue to help steam users discover games they are interested in, little thought has been given toward those with an eye towards exploring gaming history. Something like Nintendo’s virtual console, a storefront grouping games by the system they originally released on would be ideal.

“Retro” tag includes titles like Cuphead and Infernax

For the mean time, other than the foolproof method of searching a particular game by title, there are a few other ways to discover older games that have made their way onto steam. One is bundles, which will group together many of the previously mentioned standalone releases, themed around a franchise or brand. (Dreamcast Collection, or Star Wars Complete Collection, for example). There is, of course, learning via word of mouth from friends, or even the storefronts gentle nudge of suggesting games your friends play or own. Another is Steam Curators, users which recommend and review games on the platform and can be followed individually. There are a number of these that specifically hunt down “retro” games of all sorts, and I have found some helpful in discovering a few games I never knew were still for sale anywhere. Retro Games 80's, 90's and For Retro! in particular. While neither of these has an exhaustive list of legacy content on Steam, they are a good way to get one’s feet wet in exploring the store for this, and may tip you off to just how much is out there.

Since most of the collectors I know prefer console to PC, and physical to digital, I think the opportunities for exploring the past of video games through a platform like Steam are often overlooked. Part of this is because PC and console gamers tend to live in different worlds much of the time, but part of this is because the lack of curation and discoverability leads to a lot of these games getting buried. Perhaps one of Steam’s competitors could brand itself as a home for legacy content from consoles of the past. Gog initially branded itself as such, though the focus there seems mostly on legacy PC games, there are a number of console games that have found their way onto that store, too. Regardless, Steam has a lot of untapped potential as a means of exploring gaming’s past, potential which continues to grow with the trend of re-makes and collections going multi-platform. When the Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X storefronts have closed, Steam may very well be the last place to by these. Let’s just hope it’s possible to find them when it is.