Perhaps because as can be seen with companies like Microsoft, shareholders result in unintelligent decisions.

It wouldn’t be as successful in the long run, greedy investors would milk it out for short term rewards, at the cost of the users’ goodwill and respect towards the platform that has placed it where it is today.

Steam needs no one but our lord and saviour Gaben

If anything Steam being a private company is one of the best decisions that Gabe Newell has ever made. More companies should refuse to issue stock as that gives them carte blanche to run their businesses how they see fit.

Investors, stock brokers and investment bankers are enemies of free enterprise and capitalism writ large and should be driven out of society along with their kin.

it'd do well initially with an IPO considering steams consistent revenue growth and user numbers

Steam is a company? I thought it's a launcher...

Originally posted by Adversary:

If anything Steam being a private company is one of the best decisions that Gabe Newell has ever made. More companies should refuse to issue stock as that gives them carte blanche to run their businesses how they see fit.

Investors, stock brokers and investment bankers are enemies of free enterprise and capitalism writ large and should be driven out of society along with their kin.

Yep, it`s the only reason why we still have Steam instead of some corpo travesty flooding us with adds and garbage while stealing every bit of information from you and selling it to highest bidder.

Originally posted by L1qu1dator:

Steam is a company? I thought it's a launcher...

Valve

Originally posted by Morrandir:

Steam needs no one but our lord and saviour Gaben

And Emperor too.

Heil Emperor Gabe.

Originally posted by Emperor Chungus III:

Originally posted by Morrandir:

Steam needs no one but our lord and saviour Gaben

And Emperor too.

Heil Emperor Gabe.

Ave, true to Gaben

Originally posted by kekm8:

If Steam were a publicly traded company, would you invest?
Why do you think it's stayed private for so long?

Hell no. All the worst corporate soulless ghouls, would strong arm their way into power via % of their shares / stocks, among other legal & illegal tactics...

Originally posted by Adversary:

If anything Steam being a private company is one of the best decisions that Gabe Newell has ever made. More companies should refuse to issue stock as that gives them carte blanche to run their businesses how they see fit.

Investors, stock brokers and investment bankers are enemies of free enterprise and capitalism writ large and should be driven out of society along with their kin.

Agreed

It depends on the performance report and chart readings. Steam may be priced very highly per unit initially (since they're the no. #1 platform internationally for gamers).

I'd reasonably speculate that the share might end up becoming uncomfortably overbought in its early stages since this industry is valued more than the movie industry and a lot of people are going to have dollar signs in their eyes. Who really knows: I am not an economical analyst.

As I have previously answered in a related topic:

Originally posted by Wiᛊard:

we'd be screwed like royalty as the game market would have to become even more restricted due to the inevitable takeover of monopoly investors (who'll come with their own demands).

I hold my reservations that it would last as long if it became a public company. It certainly wouldn't be good news for any of us too.

The minute Steam becomes a publicly traded company, which is pretty much inevitable as soon as Gabe dies because it will likely need to be sold to pay off the taxes on it, it will likely no longer be worth investing in because anything which made it stand out from the competition will likely be thrown out the window.

probably