http://gamasutra.com/view/news/186592/Several_out_of_work_as_...

As many as 25, in fact.

Wow. I'd never expect Valve, of all companies, to layoff a minimum of twenty five employees.

After reading it, it's quite obvious Valve is struggling financially in more ways than one. But where and why, are the questions. This is odd.

It seems odd that they'd be stuggling. I mean, yeah, they're not on the stock market (locally) but Steam seems to be successful for them, with PC gaming looking to be on the rise, and I'd assume they'd be getting cash from all the Steam Box deals.

Still, maybe they just had too many people.

25 people? That is so many and I am shock and appalled.

Also, how many people work for valve? Is 25 a large percentage? A small percentage?

As cruelly cynical as this sounds - as some point, if you try and please the customer too much, you bankrupt yourself.

As much as I admire Valve's games and its dedication to taking 20 years, if necessary (and yes, that's exaggeration), to release games. As much as I admire Steam's commitment to driving prices lower for the customer.

As some point the simple realities of business can and will catch up with even the most hard working "company for the people."

Also, Valve has been hit around a bit with the train wreck that is Windows 8 and has been forced into making a hardware play with the Steambox. That stuff isn't cheap to get into.

Apart from coasting on the success of their digital enterprise, and there's nothing wrong in doing so, I still haven't heard much to get me excited.

Hopefully layoffs are an indicator of more realistic expectations by the company. There's no point in sinking a huge mass of bodies into the sea when you could stay afloat by affording some survivors a life boat. /analogy

And then they were picked up by Retro....

Is windows 8 really that much of strain wreck? I've been using it as my main driver on both a laptop and tablet and its pretty good. Valve has a problem with the windows store which they seems to think encroaches on their store. (It does it some ways)

Really wonder how much building steam for Linux and the steam box has cost them.

People reacted better to Vista than Windows 8.

And more importantly from the point of view from this thread, Windows 8 forced Valve to make Steam for Linux and develop its own game console. I'm pretty sure than Valve considers Windows 8 a train wreck.

They're not the only ones Bankai. I don't care to upgrade because it's a pointless system imo.

Also, as cynical as you are about it, you are right. Consumers always think that businesses exist to only serve them, but in reality, businesses have to serve themselves as well. No one here knows how to run a business unless they've actually done it (experience speaks louder than simple words).