steamspy.com is a Steam game data aggregate database that collects a range of statistics and data for games on the Steam store. Consumers find it useful to have playtime data, ownership numbers, metacritic ratings, and even YouTube viewership related numbers available at their fingertips. But in an unprecedented move, the video game company Paradox Interactive decided that they wanted their products removed from the website entirely.
The Steam_Spy account tweeted about it yesterday afternoon.
Paradox Interactive requested me to remove their games from Steam Spy. Stats for their titles will no longer be available.
— Steam Spy (@Steam_Spy) June 2, 2016
The account made a further statement stating their position on the matter.
I firmly believe Steam Spy should be seen as a useful tool by developers, not as a threat
— Steam Spy (@Steam_Spy) June 2, 2016
I don't ask for a proof, I'm not a court. It is their games and I think it's their right to hide their data.
— Steam Spy (@Steam_Spy) June 2, 2016
A look at the Steamspy Paradox Interactive page shows that the website followed through with the request.
Paradox Interactive, a Swedish video game developer and publisher, has been in the industry since 1999. Given their long history, it wasn’t a surprise to see the company decide to go public officially at the end of May. Shams Jorjani is the VP of Products at Paradox Interactive, and he also took the time yesterday to comment on the situation. He claims that that Steamspy’s statistics are inaccurate at times, and expressed a desire to share “correct data” via an alternative website, the ISFE.
SS numbers are wildly off at times. We'd rather share correct data through ISFE https://t.co/7OqxyX5eZW instead.
— Shams Jorjani (@ShamsJorjani) June 2, 2016
Shams went on to say that he has met many game developers that had their business plans centered around the Steamspy statistics when making their projection models.
Ive met countless devs that have showed me flawed business plans hinging entirely on the "owners" figure reported by Steamspy on competitors
— Shams Jorjani (@ShamsJorjani) June 2, 2016
But the main question that’s on people’s minds is what does this mean for the future? Will other game developers and publishers seize on this opportunity and force Steamspy to follow suit with their own games as well?
