Newell: Piracy is a "non-issue" for Valve

Gabe Newell feels Steam no longer has to compete with pirates thanks to the quality of its service.

"If a pirate offers a product anywhere in the world, 24/7, purchasable from the convenience of your personal computer, and the legal provider says the product is region-locked, will come to your country 3 months after the US release, and can only be purchased at a brick and mortar store, then the pirate's service is more valuable," Newell told The Cambridge Student.

"Most DRM solutions diminish the value of the product by either directly restricting a customer's use or by creating uncertainty. Our goal is to create greater service value than pirates, and this has been successful enough for us that piracy is basically a non-issue for our company."

These latest comments echo Valve's believe that piracy is not related to pricing.

The full interview includes some interesting discussion of eSports and a reiteration of Newell's disgust with the restrictions enforced by console networks. Hit the link above for the whole thing.

Thanks, Gamespy.