As of the Mann-Conomy update toTeam Fortress 2, which hit in late September, Valve has emphasized putting community made content up for purchase. The response so far as been, well, it’s been phenomenal.
The first five creators — Rob Laro, Shawn Spetch, Steven Skidmore, Spencer Kern, and Shaylyn Hamm — have earned royalties between $39,000 to $47,000 per person, and that’s only for the first two weeks of sales (!!!). My word.
What does this mean for the rest of us? Hopefully, other developers will follow Valve’s example by expanding the peer-to-peer marketplace far beyondits current state. Crowdsourcing can, and frequently does, lead to incredible things.
