More than half of developers believe they rely too heavily on Steam for distributing their games, while 72% think the platform holds a monopoly in the PC gaming market.
This finding comes from a new survey conducted by Atomik Research for the PC distribution platform Rokky, titled “The State of PC Game Distribution.” The survey was based on responses from 206 industry executives in the UK and the US, carried out between May 18 and May 22, 2025.
A Diverse Market
Market share isn't what defines a monopoly, folks. A monopoly is where there's a single seller for a particular service or good with no substitutes and the ability to charge excessively high rates because of this. Anyone can launch a PC distribution service, and there have been A LOT of them.
— Mat Piscatella (@matpiscatella.bsky.social) 4 November 2025 at 22:41
About 75% of the respondents held senior management or executive positions, and 77% worked at studios with more than 50 employees — meaning the sample mainly represented mid-to-large studios.
According to the study, for most studios, Steam accounts for over 75% of their total revenue. However, more and more developers are beginning to use other platforms such as the Epic Games Store and Xbox PC Games Store. Almost half of the respondents (48%) have released at least one title on both of these platforms, while 10% used GOG and 8% used Itch.io.
The low percentage for Itch.io is due to the fact that it’s mostly used by indie developers. The study also revealed that 32% of developers still publish some of their games in physical format.
New Platforms and Concerns
Marketplaces like G2A and Kinguin are also considered viable distribution options, as are online stores such as Fanatical and Humble Bundle. Developers cited several advantages in using these platforms, including ease of use, price control, promotional support, and international reach.
The data also shows that 80% of developers expect to use alternatives to Steam within the next five years, while 75% predict at least a 10% increase in revenue, particularly thanks to marketplaces and online stores. However, participants also expressed concerns about the gray market associated with these platforms and the potential loss of control over their titles.
Commenting on the survey, Mat Piscatella from Circana emphasized that Steam cannot truly be called a monopoly: “Market share isn’t what defines a monopoly, folks. A monopoly is where there’s a single seller for a particular service or good with no substitutes and the ability to charge excessively high rates because of this. Anyone can launch a PC distribution service, and there have been A LOT of them.”
He added: “I mean, words mean things. Anyways, this is the kind of dumb gaming debate that happens every few years I can get behind.”
