“I’m not suggesting that anyone should pay more than the stated price for a game, but I want to give this guy $30 because his game is amazing,” says Michael Douse, head of publishing at Larian Studios. “That option should exist.” The Baldur’s Gate 3 boss believes Steam should implement a tipping feature for indie developers.

We’ve all been there—buying a game with little expectation, only to be completely blown away. Sometimes, it even becomes one of our all-time favorites. In such cases, it’s not uncommon to feel like we got more than our money’s worth, especially with indie titles. But what if you could give a little extra as a token of appreciation?

That’s the idea Michael Douse, head of publishing at Larian Studios, recently shared on X/Twitter. He believes Steam should introduce an option to tip developers, particularly those working on indie games. “Every now and then, I come across an indie game (though it could be any budget level) that I absolutely love. The last one I bought was just 8 euros,” Douse explains.

“I’d love to give the developer 30 euros because they did an amazing job. I find it odd that Steam doesn’t allow this. I’m not saying anyone should be forced to pay more, but I want to give this guy 30 euros because his game is fantastic. I’m sure there’s a logical reason why Steam hasn’t implemented this yet, but it feels like an option that should exist,” he said, emphasizing why tipping should be available on Steam.

Blizzard’s Former President Shares the Same View

Back in April last year, Mike Ybarra, former president of Blizzard, floated a similar idea—arguing that players should be able to tip games they truly love. “I’ve thought about this for a long time. As a gamer, there have been titles that completely blew me away. By the time I finished, I often thought, ‘I wish I could give them another $10 or $20 because it was worth way more than my initial $70, and they weren’t trying to nickel-and-dime me every second,’” said the former Xbox executive.

Source: 3djuegos