Legal questions about Steam/Valve

[PaCMaN 凸(¬‿¬)凸]

I was wondering if someone could help answer a question for me. I was wondering what would happen if Steam or Valve went bankrupt and no longer existed. As you already know, buying games through steam is digital and if the company went backrupt, what would happen to our games that we purchased through Steam? The reason I ask this is because you have to login to Steam to play the games, and if the client ceases to exist, then there is no way to play your game if the company fails. You have to verify login first through the internet. This pretty much means to me that they are trying to hold the rights to the games as their own, even though they didn't create the games themselves. So the real question is...how is that legal to do and would Steam/Valve have a unlock feature so that we could still play the games if the company failed? That would be pretty harsh if people bought thousands of dollars worth of games on Steam and then were just out that money/games because the company doesn't exist no more. Gamespy is a perfect example of this. Please discuss this. Thanks.

[Jordanzts]

Valve aren't going anywhere in a hurry, you have nothing to worry about.

[Wendschlag]

If they go out of business we are screwed. Dependning on the filing you would be able to determine more of the outcome.

[ChrisW]

If you purchase your games from Steam, you are deciding to have them linked to the Steam service. That was your own choice. If a game requires Steam to run, then the developers chose that requirement. Neither case is an example of "trying to hold the rights to the games as their own".

[DarkCrystalMethod]

"...if people bought thousands of dollars worth of games on Steam..."
Sounds like a good deal for Valve, makers of Steam.

Keep on purchasin' and not only will they survive, they would flourish.

[GreenEyes]

They would make games available to play that you bought without them existing somehow.

[Satoru]

Companies do not go into bankruptcy in a vacuum. Do you think any of the following companies would let steam die

EA/Origin
Amazon
GamersGate
Gamestop/Impulse
GreenManGaming

If Steam was going into the toilet, any number of comanies would be glad to scoop up a few million dedicated users that you'd migrate onto your own platform.

[Τhe Rolling Cheese Wheel]

If steam dies, the state of the gaming world must be in a pretty horrible place.

[Raito]

Steam owns your games.
They can delete your games from your library without problems.
But Steam wouldn't do that unless you did something really wrong.

If Steam files for a bankruptcy ... well then our games would just disappear.

[LightKeeper]

Publishers release games through Steam, but you're purchasing games through the Steam platform. If Valve went bankrupt (which will never happen, literally), nothing would happen to the Steam platform anytime soon I'd imagine.

[Tox Laximus]

This is why download ownership laws have to change, to protect the customer.

Everything has a end.

[Tox Laximus]

dohn has been password phishing for 60 mins, its good to know the mods have your back :s

[Ineffable Anathema]

He's been password phishing for HOURS dude.

[Shin Ramyun]

Okay this is what happens when a company like Valve goes bankrupt
Their assets are sold off.

If this ever happens you can bet your ass that EA will buy out Steam and integrate the user base into Origin and even maintain the contracts they had if they can.

Basically the user or people generally don't lose out if the company is lucrative enough to purchase which is why Valve isn't going anywhere unless someone stupid runs it.

[Tox Laximus]

I suppose valve is safe for now, this war is ending soon so there will be growth everywhere when it does.

You have to be fairly clued up to use steam so I bet no one has gave their pass away to that guy, makes you wonder if some mods take backhanders.

[LEOdf]

To answer your question: You will lose everything. When banks fail, everyone who had their accounts there lose it all. Even if it was millions of dollars. You think they'll make an exception for a buncha kids losing some video games?!? LOLOLOLOL Grow up kiddo !