Tue, Aug 30, 2011 | 07:23 BST
Portal 2 PC sold better than console SKU, says Valve
Valve boss Gabe Newell has said that sales of Portal 2 were better on PC than they were on either 360 or PS3.

While the 360 version was only a vanilla version of the game of sorts, the PS3 version included Steamworks support, including cloud save, cross-platform play and Steam achievements.
But Newell, speaking to Gamasutra, admitted that Left 4 Dead was one Valve series it had seen sell better on console than PC. The series has only appeared on 360 to date in terms of consoles.
“We can never predict; I mean we just try to build good games and then we tend to be surprised,” he said when asked about a mindshare strategy for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
“Portal 2 did better on the PC than it did on the consoles; Left 4 Dead did better on the consoles than it did on the PC. So you know we don’t try to guess, because we’re not sure what value there is to guessing. We’ve never had a situation where we said, ‘We really, really want to build something that is more popular for the console guys.’
“Because usually we have a bunch of other higher priority problems we want to solve. So we’re glad that people want to play our games wherever they want to play.”
Valve are kneedeep in development on DOTA 2 and Counter Strike GO, both of which are due to kick off with betas later this year and a full release next year.


37 comments
#1
endgame
30/08/11, 8:51 am
well Portal requires more brain then muscles so duh it sold more on PC than consoles.
#2
Ireland Michael
30/08/11, 8:58 am
@1 Please tell me you’re only joking.
#3
Lahanas
30/08/11, 9:19 am
@1 People like you are the reason most companies prefer consoles.
#4
StolenGlory
30/08/11, 9:21 am
@1
I just… No.
#5
PC_Gamer
30/08/11, 10:28 am
Yep, consoles fails at gaming.
#6
TheBlackHole
30/08/11, 10:38 am
@3 Exactly.
This news isn’t a surprise. Valve are one of the biggest PC-game advocates out there, and they make brilliant games.
Not many cross-platform games sell large %’s on PC these days, hence why some console game manufacturers are dropping the platform entirely. Valve are one of very few (and arguably, a dying breed).
#7
StolenGlory
30/08/11, 10:38 am
@5
With a name such as yours, I really shouldn’t expect anything else to come out of your brain should I you painfully obvious troll.
#8
TheBlackHole
30/08/11, 10:39 am
@5 Also, you fails at insults.
#9
PC_Gamer
30/08/11, 10:40 am
@7,@8 I see your butthurt.
#10
BraveArse
30/08/11, 10:42 am
Ah yes, “butthurt”. The insult of a 13 year old. Get much pokemon on the PC then?
#11
PC_Gamer
30/08/11, 10:43 am
@10, Consoles are for small kids, so even idiot can play on them. But PC is for mature gamers.
#12
StolenGlory
30/08/11, 10:47 am
@9
Butthurt?
Presumably you learnt that insult from the playground where you also picked up your particularly unoriginal brand of cretinous fanboy trolling sensibilities?
#13
PC_Gamer
30/08/11, 10:49 am
@12, im unprejudiced, so fuck off, console kid. :3
#14
Gekidami
30/08/11, 10:53 am
I dont get it, we can put a man on the moon and cure nearly all diseases, but finding a PC gamer who isnt a total retard is impossible? Well i guess we’ll just have to keep looking.
#15
triggerhappy
30/08/11, 10:56 am
@ PC_Gamer: Erthazus? Is that you??
#16
PC_Gamer
30/08/11, 10:58 am
@14, U didnt started looking. When i played on x360 or ps3 multiplayer i heard in voice chat screeming kids. So i decided to play on PC, coz there isnt too much kids in multiplayer.
And graphics in console games are shitty: in my 1080p TV the image is blured.
#17
StolenGlory
30/08/11, 10:59 am
@13
‘im unprejudiced’.
Cool story bro.
‘so fuck off, console kid. :3′
More to the point, what are you going to do if I don’t ‘fuck off’?
Oh that’s right, you’ll have two things to do won’t you?
Nothing and like it.
#18
PC_Gamer
30/08/11, 11:01 am
@17, U act like 10 years old kid.
#19
StolenGlory
30/08/11, 11:03 am
@18
And on the evidence of this, thusly I rest my case
#20
TheBlackHole
30/08/11, 11:08 am
I’m still laughing at the use of ‘butthurt’ as a nonsensical adjective.
Brilliant.
#21
PC_Gamer
30/08/11, 11:09 am
@20, good for you, kid.
#22
TD_Monstrous69
30/08/11, 11:30 am
I’m not that shocked Portal 2 sold more on PC than it did on consoles. Mainly because of their roots being on the PC, thus having a big PC following (much like id software). I bought this for my PS3, mainly for the cross-platform play with PC and MAC users (though after reading some of the comments posted here, I’m second guessing on whether or not to even try CO-OP if I’m gonna end up running into elitist assholes like the lots of you here online) plus for it coming with a free code to download the PC version of the game (now all I needs is a PC that can run it).
#23
Ireland Michael
30/08/11, 11:53 am
Good lord people, just ignore him. He’s doing it intentionally to rile you up.
#24
Freek
30/08/11, 12:04 pm
This is why we need an Ignore Button, it’s so helpfull in self moderating. And cleaning up the trolls, as soon as they realize they have no more audiance, it’ll go away.
#25
Ireland Michael
30/08/11, 12:06 pm
@24 As has been pointed out countless time before, there *is* a hack to ignore users on here… but nobody is willing to fix the coding for the new layout so that it works on more than just the forums.
#26
bpcgos
30/08/11, 12:11 pm
Just keep going,folks! I’m gonna stay at this channel till morning!
#27
freedoms_stain
30/08/11, 12:22 pm
@22, if you want to play co-op I’ll do it with ya, I still need that achievement for playing with a co-op noob.
I’m on PC, but I’m not a dick about it. Steam id is the same as forum id here if you’re interested.
#28
Clupula
30/08/11, 1:31 pm
I bought it for PS3, but it doesn’t surprise me that it sold more on PC. I don’t know any other people who bought the PS3 version, and all the co-op I’ve done has been with my friends who play on PC. The game’s a spin-off from the Half Life series, which, while appearing on consoles, has its roots on the PC, makes perfect sense that it’d continue to sell on there.
And for everyone, I’ve found PC_Gamer’s threads are infinitely more amusing if you just imagine them said in the voice of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
#29
endgame
30/08/11, 5:21 pm
“some console game manufacturers are dropping the platform entirely. Valve are one of very few (and arguably, a dying breed).” uuum. right!
edit: @23 that’s how easy it is to “butt hurt” console players! LOL! and he’s only 1.
) well, I’m #2 but I don’t count ’cause I’m too bored to own these losers in text. also it’s too easy. so I usually own them in games.
#30
DSB
30/08/11, 5:32 pm
No offence to any of you guys, but trolls have it waaaaay too easy on this site.
Why it’s worth responding to the couple of ‘em above, I have no idea. It’s pretty obvious that they’re just trying to get a rise out of people, and people are just lining up to deliver.
The animosity between consoles and PC is just makebelief between a few idiotic fanboys online, even if it is interesting to see which gets the most attention from the developer on individual titles.
#31
endgame
30/08/11, 5:34 pm
@30 seriously u don’t like to see ppl bickering?
)
#32
Noodlemanny
30/08/11, 5:45 pm
Hmm. I really do hope that ‘PC_Gamer’ was pulling a joke. Otherwise I’d have lost just a little bit more confidence in the competence of the human race. PC_Gamers very name kinda suggests he wasn’t, which makes me quite depressed.
Aah well my amazing self-control means I will will (force) out this encounter and keep being the annoyingly over optimistic person that I am. Not to toot my own trumpet.
#33
triggerhappy
30/08/11, 5:50 pm
It’s a wind up. And if it’s not the jokes on him anwyway y’know.
#34
DSB
30/08/11, 5:57 pm
@31 I’ll indulge in discussions, no matter how long or furious they may be, but this isn’t even close to a discussion. It’s some frecklefaced nerd popping into a discussion to yell “Poo” to which everybody else replies “Poo you” or worse yet, wastes something intelligent on him.
Surely there are more interesting things to say about Portal 2, the PC and Valve, eh?
#35
PC_Gamer
30/08/11, 8:23 pm
Консолебляди соснули по самые гланды.
#36
Fin
30/08/11, 8:28 pm
@35
什么?
#37
PC_Gamer
30/08/11, 11:12 pm
@36, Хуй в очко, мой ебанутый друг.