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   Charlie Stross (cstross@wandering.shop)'s status on Monday, 17-Nov-2025 19:08:44 JST Charlie Stross

   A clear sign that the AI Winter is approaching fast ... https://mastodon.social/@preya/115539102794649854

   • Embed this notice
     Skjeggtroll (skjeggtroll@mastodon.online)'s status on Monday, 17-Nov-2025 19:08:43 JST Skjeggtroll

     in reply to

     @cstross

     While I agree that the next AI Winter is likely just around the corner, I'm not sure Valve not talking about AI means much in that regards. Valve as a company has always been rather unexciteable. A bit like Nintendo, Valve seem perfectly at ease with just doing their own thing and ignoring whatever mechanical hare the rest of the industry is chasing after at the moment.

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     Jacek Wesołowski (jzillw@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Monday, 17-Nov-2025 19:08:43 JST Jacek Wesołowski

     in reply to

     • Skjeggtroll

     @skjeggtroll @cstross This is true, but on the other hand:

     - Valve absolutely does take interest in "Next Big Things", e.g. they did their own experiments with AR back in the day, and there was even some minor drama when they gave up on those

     - I haven't seen industry people be this excited about something Valve did since they launched Steam, which is a sign of its own

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     Jacek Wesołowski (jzillw@mastodon.gamedev.place)'s status on Monday, 17-Nov-2025 19:24:53 JST Jacek Wesołowski

     in reply to

     • Skjeggtroll

     @cstross @skjeggtroll

     I tend to agree this is what games and gaming platforms are, with the caveat this isn't always how they're treated. In fact, it's one of my big professional frustrations that they aren't.

     But it does seem that the companies that take the steady approach (Valve, Nintendo, Sony) are long term winners, while the ones that take the startup approach (Microsoft, EA, Embracer, Facebook, btw does anyone even remember Zynga?) tend to get themselves in trouble.

   • Embed this notice
     Charlie Stross (cstross@wandering.shop)'s status on Monday, 17-Nov-2025 19:24:54 JST Charlie Stross

     in reply to

     • Skjeggtroll
     • Jacek Wesołowski

     @jzillw @skjeggtroll Hypothesis: in the 21st century, gaming platforms are the pork futures of the tech sector: reliable long-term investments that don't grow spectacularly but are always there because people are always going to want to eat (play games) even when they get bored with the fad du jour ...