Steam might be the most popular gaming platform for PC gamers in the West, but it's not the only one and its influence has been on the decline as of late. It's still growing overall, but its summer dips have grown to new heights, which suggests it may be reaching a peak in terms of its global appeal.
Typically Steam user numbers peak around Christmas when people are indoors, playing games and buying new games for one another. They then takes a hit in the Summer months when people have other things to do. Last year, nine percent of Steam's user base disappeared for a few months, but this year it's been far worse. As Steam Spy creator Sergey Galyonkin reports, 17 percent of Steam's users have been doing other things this Summer, giving Steam quite a dip.
Yes, my point is that the current decrease is bigger than usual: 17% vs 9%.
— Steam Spy (@Steam_Spy) July 31, 2018
So why is this year so dramatic? A decline in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds players could be a big culprit. Its huge peak towards the end of last year and subsequent decline as Fortnite has come to dominate the Battle Royale genre is likely the cause of at least a few hundred thousand exiles. Fortnite too, could be drawing a lot of other gamers away from Steam, which some have suggested could see Epic and major stakeholder, Tencent, push to create a brand new Steam competitor with Fortnite as its base.
