They were also much simpler and smaller back then with often extremely limited specification variations. And DRM existed back then too, with some fairly egregious and infamous physical DRM checks.
Not to mention that Steamworks DRM is practically non-existent anyways (and that it also wasn’t necessary to use, it’s rare, but some games just don’t protect their game with any DRM).
Yes. Stopping the meteor requires a number of materials as well as powering the device to destroy the meteor. Also just to clarify, 30 days to stop the meteor is 30 real time days. The game is largely complete and honestly, I don’t think you’d even really notice what’s missing unless you specifically look up what’s not there.
Well, considering that time was either on the way towards bankruptcy, at bankruptcy, or barely recovering from bankruptcy, it’s a fairly easy explanation as to why they’re doing better now.
Yeah, but let’s be real here, it would totally be just like Valve to make a GPU and somehow be like one of the best ones at the time and never make another one again.
Not to mention the amount of money they literally burn through EGS. If I remember correctly, the plan was that it wouldn’t be profitable for another 3/4 years (by 2027).
Most devs never would have made their own proprietary engines. With ready availability of engines to use, the number of developers skyrocketed as it lowered the bar of who can make a game.
As neat as it would be, I don’t think they could do it justice. Is the Thief IP really that valuable that a person couldn’t just make a generic dark fantasy game about being a thief?