Sports Games on PC Get Leg Up With Steam Machine Announcement

PC gaming is in a great spot overall these days. Its ecosystem is probably the most conducive for new games finding an audience, but one genre that still struggles to find its way on PC is sports.

It’s not that you can’t find good sports game experiences on PC, but it’s clear it’s a secondary market for the genre in a way that’s not necessarily true for a lot of the other biggest genres.

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There are reasons for that, including some of the biggest sports games not being annualized on that platform until recent years (and others still not existing on it at all), but the point is traditional consoles are where sports games make their money (and find their biggest audience).

That said, the Steam Machine is certainly something that could change that equation. This is about to be Steam’s (and thus PC gaming’s) best attempt yet at trying to inject itself into the console wars.

Pricing is TBD, but if we’re to believe rumors that it will be priced competitively with Xbox and PlayStation, then that is one reason it has a chance. The other major reason is that almost everyone who has a PC already and games uses Steam anyway.

As someone who already owns (and loves) their Steam Deck — the handheld version of this concept — I’m already sold for this very reason. I trust their products, and even though I have a powerful PC already, I’m still down to have something like this in my living room as well.

PC Sports Games Need To Find A Path Forward

The thing working against the Steam Machine (in theory) will be that one of the perks of PC gaming (modding) will be there, but not as seamless in all respects as when you’re on a “normal” PC. You will still be able to put apps and even a different OS on a Steam Machine, but that’s a barrier to entry even beyond the normal “modding” scene for something like Madden.

And, to be clear, a major perk of playing PC sports games is modding. Since the install base is smaller (even with cross-platform gaming), the best perks of playing big sports games on PC are the additions to the games via the community.

For those games that are solely run through Steam (including the mod scene via Steam Workshop) that’s less of a concern. Regardless, modding isn’t really my major hang-up with sports games on PC moving forward.

My hang-up with sports games on PC is them simply figuring out a “model” that works for developers — and us. The normal stuff like new EA FC patches and such are a given on PC and console alike.

More of the biggest games coming to PC is another thing that I think will take care of itself for the most part. MLB The Show 26 is out with its first news this week, and nothing was said about a PC version as of yet, but the Steam Machine finding big success would be yet another reason for companies to stop missing out on potential profits on that platform.

Instead, I’m more talking about what exactly a “successful” PC sports game looks like. A successful sports game does not have to be only on PC, but one would hope it is driven first by its success on that platform.

It’s hard to point to a lot of “big wins” for PC sports games as of late, or at least, point to development projects that have worked using a more PC-based model. The Skate devs were out this week apologizing for the early access rollout, while at the same time showcasing new visual updates coming soon to the game.

Along with that news, we know Rematch is also struggling overall, but especially on Steam. Neither of these games is a “perfect” example of how PC sports games fail, but I do think they both exemplify a PC-based model that didn’t work out well on PC (or at least has not worked out well so far).

Skate went with a free-to-play model and embraced early access. Rematch was free on Game Pass and had its biggest success early on with that platform. You could say neither game was that good and that’s the biggest reason each one is “failing” to this point, but I would say it’s still a sign that sports games are struggling to find a way to fit in on PC. More specifically, the “early access model” and “free-to-play model” that has worked much better on PC vs. console does not have the same amount of success stories when it comes to sports games.

I’m not exactly sure what the best “model” is for a PC sports game, but it does appear that code has not been cracked as of yet. Something like Rocket League eventually became a PC powerhouse after first getting noticed on PlayStation by being a free PS Plus game, but those sorts of success stories are seemingly quite rare.

Maybe the answer is more arcade games? Acclaim is coming back, albeit they don’t own NBA Jam or any of those properties anymore. And Backyard Sports continues to invest in bringing itself back from the dead as Backyard Basketball ‘01 and Backyard Hockey ‘02 both hit Steam this week — and can be added to your Steam Library for free.

Perhaps the answer is simply the Steam Machine itself. If it becomes ubiquitous enough that it is mentioned in the same breath as normal consoles, then maybe PC games simply become part of the same ecosystem. It wouldn’t be the most “interesting” outcome if PC sports games become another extension of console games, but since it seem companies like PlayStation and Xbox are becoming more PC-focused either way, maybe that’s simply the normal trendline.

Whatever the outcome, I’m stoked about the Steam Machine, and I can only hope sports games benefit from its potential success in a way that makes sports gamers happier along the way.

Until next time y’all. And, as always, thanks for reading.

-Chase