There Are Too Many Games on Steam and Finding the Best Is Hard But That’s Not the Real Problem, Says the Hooded Horse CEO
Tim Bender, CEO of Hooded Horse (publisher of Manor Lords and Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era), recently shared his thoughts on Steam, the discoverability of new games, and why, quite simply, some video games should not be developed at all.
The information comes from a LinkedIn post by Bender.
Steam’s Discovery System Is Not the Problem
“I’ve seen a lot of people argue that right now lack of discoverability is a fundamental problem for PC games, but I disagree,” Bender said. “There is no platform that matches Steam’s excellent discovery system. I say this not just in relation to games, but also in comparison to streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon, nothing comes close.”
Bender explained that when he visits the Steam homepage, the platform automatically tailors what he sees to his interests. At the top, it highlights a mix of popular titles and games that match his personal tags. As he scrolls down, Steam organizes content by genre, making it easy to explore specific categories. The system also includes a section that suggests new titles based on the games he already plays, often showcasing smaller indie projects that fit his tastes. Overall, Bender believes Steam’s entire layout is built to help players easily discover new games that suit them.
What Developers Should Really Focus On
Bender also noted that the number of games released on PC—about 19,000 in the last year—is not the real problem developers face. “Store platforms should welcome all entrants and let player preferences guide visibility,” he said. Instead, sustainability should come from analyzing the real size of the market developers can reach compared to their costs.
“In the end, if we want stability we have to make sure a given game’s budget is such that ‘success’ in the sense of costs being covered and the team continuing on to the next game is achieved with moderate sales based on a cautious estimation of its likely reach with players. And that does mean that some games should not be made, at least at their planned budgets,” Bender added.
He also believes that publishers shouldn’t take all the revenue until costs are recovered, putting developers at risk. Instead, publishers should have a diverse portfolio, where successful titles can balance out the ones that underperform. “Large corporate entities that can absorb risk should expect some losses to be balanced out by other gains, and that the team that had a loss this time might generate tomorrow’s hit,” he said.
In short, Bender argues that publishers should understand the right budget for each type of game, prepare for possible failures, and still support developers in creating new titles.
These comments align with his previous statements—for example, the publisher of Manor Lords has said delaying games is good for business and has no problem doing so.
