Valve Writer: Steam Is an MMO, Says Gabe Newell

What if Steam isn't just a store, but a giant MMO? That's exactly how Gabe Newell sees it, according to former Valve writer Chet Faliszek. In a recent YouTube video, Faliszek explained that Newell has been "pretty clear" about Steam's true nature. "Gabe's talked about this a bunch. It's an MMO. It's that simple," he said. So next time you're browsing your library, remember: you're not just shopping, you're inhabiting a world.

Think about it. Steam lets you level up your account, earn trading cards, decorate your profile, and give awards to others. All these features let you express who you are, just like customizing a character in an MMO. "There's all of these elements that let you express who you are as a person as well as then MMO-ing the entire experience and leveling up," Faliszek explained. You're not just consuming games; you're building an identity within a community.

That sense of identity gives players real agency, Faliszek argues. "They give the player actual agency and import and power inside of that ecosystem, much like if you were playing an MMO and you're fighting monsters and you're pulling from dungeons," he said. On Steam, you're not just playing—you're expressing yourself in passive but meaningful ways. And that's a big reason why players are so devoted to Steam over other platforms.

Compare that to the Epic Games Store. Faliszek doesn't see a clear "North Star" guiding Epic's design. While Epic offers self-expression through UEFN and Unreal Engine tools, those require effort that most players won't bother with. There's nothing on Epic that matches the quick dopamine hit of selling a trading card for three cents on the Steam marketplace. That instant gratification keeps players coming back.

Faliszek also wasn't impressed by Epic CEO Tim Sweeney's recent dig at Gabe Newell or Epic's plan to outdo Steam by "vibe coding" its launcher. He argues these moves don't sell the platform to players. Promising faster loading times? That hardly matters when the platform has few features to load. As Faliszek points out, long load times never stopped an MMO fan from logging in.

Of course, Steam isn't perfect. Faliszek admits Valve's community moderation "leaves something to be desired" and that "there's valid things that Steam should be doing to help monitor and control some of what's happening there." But despite those issues, the community features still give players a place in that world—something Epic hasn't replicated.

So what do you think? Is Steam really an MMO in disguise? And will Epic ever find its own North Star? Let us know in the comments!