If I buy on itch.io does it come with a Steam key?

[deliciouspancakes]

Just curious, this game looks great but I can't justify paying more than double during the Steam Summer Sale for the same product, but I also don't want to have to add it as a non-Steam game.

Also, as someone who already owns Dragon Creek, I'm surprised you haven't set up a bundle on Steam

[∇]

The steam version comes with achievements and mod support. If you don't care about those, then get the itch version. That is why they are priced differently.

[deliciouspancakes]

Originally posted by ∇:

The steam version comes with achievements and mod support. If you don't care about those, then get the itch version. That is why they are priced differently.

I don't care about achievements at all and while mod support is potentially interesting, I see very few mods available of any interest in the Workshop. Certainly not worth double the price of the game.

I'm sad to see I have to pay more than double to own the game on my platform of choice due to arbitrary features I have little to no intent to use. I understand that you put extra work into the Steam version, but again it's for features I have no interest in at this time. I just would like to own the game at a reasonable price on the platform of my choice (however, it's my understanding that price parity is a requirement mandated by Valve for selling on the Steam platform in the first place. I know they use the "within a reasonable timeframe" terminology, but it's in the fine print)

If I buy on Itch, since Steam allows you to generate codes for free for sales on third party platforms, would you be willing to make an exception and send me a Steam key since Valve requires you to have similar price parity across storefronts? Thanks in advance!

(Note: I also checked both store pages (Itch and Steam) and I see no mention of mod support being the reason behind the price difference. You may wish to note that on one or both pages to avoid this question in the future.)

[∇]

The steam price parity rule is for steam key sales. I can not sell steam keys at different prices on different store fronts. If I were to offer the steam key on itch, then I would be required to update the price to match the steam store. This is how Game Pass, the App Store, and Humble are able to have different prices than Steam.

The price isn't usually half the steam store's. At the time of writing, itch just has a larger discount.

Mod support and achievements is just one of the reasons. There are others. The issue is similar to why games are priced differently on mobile. Itch has a much smaller user base that expects lower prices. There's also Workshop support, automatic updates, and steam handles payments and foreign purchasing power. Itch doesn't have these features, so its cheaper.

I would advise you to wait for a larger discount if you dislike the current price, or perhaps avoid this title if you believe the pricing is unfair.

[deliciouspancakes]

According to David Rosen of Wolfire Games who placed an antitrust suit against Valve and Judge Coughenour who ruled on the case in 2022 and ultimately dismissed Wolfire's suit, you are incorrect:

'Judge Coughenour also rejected the claims that the Steam store and gaming platform operate separately.

"The company 'allegedly enforces this regime through a combination of written and unwritten rules' imposing its own conditions on how even non-Steam-enabled games are sold and priced," Coughenour said.'

'Wolfire's David Rosen expanded on that accusation in a recent blog post, saying that Valve threatened to "remove [Wolfire's game] Overgrowth from Steam if I allowed it to be sold at a lower price anywhere, even from my own website, without Steam keys and without Steam’s DRM."'

And this GameRant article from 2022 also specifically cites the Price Parity rule for Hitman 3 no longer being discounted on the Epic Game Store:
https://gamerant.com/hitman-3-sale-steam-epic-games-valve-pricing-parity-store-terms/

"It basically has to do with Steam's pricing parity and PC gaming dominance. Essentially, Valve has the monopoly on PC gaming, with a controversial business practice that "unofficially" makes it so that Epic, and likely GOG and Humble Bundle, can't sell a game at a discounted price if Steam isn't, essentially meaning that no other platform can undercut the PC gaming giant.

This has caused much contention in the past, with Valve facing lawsuits over Steam prices; the bulk of the argument centering around small game publishers allegedly having to enter into agreements that games will be the same price no matter where it's currently being sold digitally."

[∇]

idk what to tell you. I checked the steam distribution agreement and steam key distribution agreement and I'm within my legal means. If you believe I'm wrong, by all means send steam support a message.

[deliciouspancakes]

Valid.

Given your own impressions from reading those agreements, I feel like Valve may have been using vaguer legal phraseology in the past and the court battles may have forced them to choose more specific language that means the price parity now only applies to Steam keys being resold.