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Why there are few native Linux games compared to Windows or even Mac? (fedia.io)

submitted 2 weeks ago by ryujin470@fedia.io to c/gaming@beehaw.org

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Does the existence of Wine compatibility layer discourages the creation of native Linux games?

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[–] thingsiplay@beehaw.org 14 points 2 weeks ago (12 children)

On Steam Linux user base surpassed MacOSX user base, so that's no longer an argument: https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/

[–] Bronzebeard@lemm.ee 27 points 2 weeks ago (9 children)

It's still an argument, given that this historically wasn't the case. And Mac used to have a bigger share of the pie. Do they even make Mac only games anymore?

But those numbers pretty much prove my point. Unless you're already set up to be making games specific to a system, there's no point in starting from scratch to only name something for 1-2% of the market.

[–] thingsiplay@beehaw.org 7 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

I was referring to

If the least used operating system. Why limit your audience to such a small niche to begin with?

... which is no longer true. Also supporting Linux does not mean its limited to Linux only. This is in addition to Windows. And supporting Steam Deck comes with some extra goodies for the publisher, as they get some extra marketing in Steam itself and by videogame outlets, fans and YouTubers speaking about it. Do not make the mistake and look at numbers without taking context into account.

Your argumentation only explains why devs didn't create Linux native applications in the past. I said its no longer the case. So don't misunderstand me. What you said is true for the past, not today.

[–] MindlessZ@lemm.ee 14 points 2 weeks ago

The short answer is in many cases it's just not worth it. Maintaining a Linux build is not free and the possible market share gain is fairly minimal. Add to that the possibility you get it for free through proton and your reasons for investing the dev effort shrink.

I've heard an argument for maintaining Linux builds because Linux users will provide better bug reports but that mindset is unlikely to ever survive in a big studio

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