- A new report says that there are games worth $19 billion that are never launched by Steam users.
- This likely happens when people buy games together due to the excitement of new releases.
- Steam’s massive sales likely end up contributing to this trend too.
As the gaming industry continues to grow, more and more titles are coming out every year. At some point, it gets too much to keep up with, leading to plenty of unplayed games in existing libraries.
The dreaded backlog is something everyone is familiar with. However, Steam users, in particular, know that they have plenty of unplayed games. In fact, a report estimates that about $19 billion worth of games have never been launched on the platform.
Why it matters: PC gaming is a rapidly growing part of the industry, and these backlogs contribute to significant revenue each year.
With so many games coming out, people may not necessarily have time to play through them. However, with each new release comes a wave of excitement and promise that can sometimes be too hard to ignore.
This leads to purchases that people may never play. We can take the example of the Elden Ring DLC. Shadow of the Erdtree had so much hype behind it that it led to many new players trying their hand at a FromSoftware title.
However, they quickly found out how difficult the developer’s games can be. According to PCGamesN, Steam users have games worth about $1.9 billion in their libraries that have never been launched once.
Taking into account the fact that many users have private profiles, this amount ends up being closer to $19 billion. Keep in mind that Steam has over 34 million users around the globe.
One reason for so many unplayed games may be the amount of content present in new games. With each release being longer and longer, PC users may find it daunting to commit to a several-hour-long journey.
Perhaps this is why so many libraries have titles that are never launched.
Moreover, people are mostly busy with live service games. Therefore, the vast majority of people stick to their favorites, even if they continue to buy more and more titles each year.
Very few things in life are certain, but the Steam backlog growing further is almost certainly guaranteed. Many players try to clear their backlogs, swearing to change things at the beginning of a new year.
However, Steam always has new discounts and promotions, leading to a bigger backlog with each passing year.
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