Money Swag - Steam's Summer Sale Festival Begins!

The Summer Sale Festival on Steam has officially launched!

Load up your cart with as many games as you want and apply the discount with a single click!

Is there really an unlimited coupon with no cap on the discount amount?

Fifty percent is the baseline, but thanks to the incredible performance of the Korea team, the discount can climb as high as eighty percent!

Gabe Newell promoted the event—which had quietly begun in early June—with massive fanfare, as if the Summer Festival had only just started. The origin date of the gaming coupons mattered about as much as when a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fresh vegetable was harvested, but by framing it as the start of a grand summer celebration, he successfully captured the gamers’ renewed attention. He also heavily emphasized that the discount applied to the entire shopping cart with no upper limit on the total savings.

Thanks to this, internet communities like 2CH.com were buzzing with colorful reactions. The tactic that had once been dismissed as a sneaky exploit was now revealed to be completely legitimate. A few netizens expressed disappointment that their secret was now public knowledge, but the vast majority simply marveled, “As expected from Steam.”

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠made sense. Whether it was game publishers or traditional offline retailers, every discount event came with a hard cap on the maximum savings—ten dollars here, five dollars there. Even a fifty-percent discount felt negligible under those restrictions. Steam, however, was different. The discount applied to the full value of everything in your cart. Drop three hundred dollars’ worth of games in there and apply the coupon? You instantly save a hundred and fifty dollars.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely without limits. The coupon could only be used once per account, duplicate purchases of the same title were blocked, and it only applied to games. Regular application software was excluded. That meant ID Office, versions of the Android OS above the Gaming Edition, and expensive professional tools like 3D Max, Photoshop, Autodesk, and Oracle were all off-limits.

Those programs typically cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars and were usually purchased by companies rather than individuals. Even when individuals bought them, they were often used for profit-generating work, so it was only fair that proper payment was made. It was a bit strange for such high-end software to be listed on a game-centric platform like Steam, but it was possible because Steam had evolved from ESD.com. Contracts with professional software vendors were still in place, and since they were reasonably satisfied with their sales volume on Steam, they were happy to renew the distribution agreements.

Gamers erupted in celebration. Those who had already used their coupons felt a pang of regret, but the majority—who hadn’t been deep enough into internet culture to hear the rumors about the “exploit”—were overjoyed, as if they had found free money on the street.

The ones who benefited most, however, were the game companies themselves. Although Steam was running a massive discount event, it wasn’t forcing publishers to slash their own margins. The discount amount was fully covered by Steam, and settlements for games sold during the event were calculated at full original value according to the usual revenue split. The more that sold, the more they earned—and even old titles from years ago were flying off the digital shelves.

A fifty-percent discount felt like the games were practically being given away. And because the coupon applied to the entire cart, gamers ended up throwing in titles they hadn’t even been planning to buy. Using the coupon on just one game somehow felt like a waste. It was as if Steam users had collectively decided to empty the wallet of the world’s youngest billionaire, Yoo Jae-won, and were hitting the purchase button with that exact determination.

Soon, posting proof of their purchases online became a trend. Naturally, some people began worrying about Yoo Jae-won’s wallet.

Even the man who had started it all, President Gabe, was among those panicking. Once the massive promotion began, games started selling at a terrifying pace. One of the great advantages of digital software distribution was that sales figures were tallied in real time. In just half a day, one million game titles had been sold across Steam. Upon receiving the report, a stunned Gabe Newell immediately contacted Yoo Jae-won.

The average price per title was around thirty dollars, putting total revenue at thirty million dollars. The amount Yoo Jae-won had to cover through discount coupons was exactly half—fifteen million dollars. A full quarter of the sixty-million-dollar budget he had generously increased had vanished in half a day. It was more than enough reason for the somewhat timid Gabe to call in a panic.

On the monitor, Gabe Newell was practically bouncing in his seat, shouting “one million” over and over.

“One million? That’s well within expectations. Please continue as planned,” Yoo Jae-won replied calmly.

Far from being alarmed, Yoo Jae-won was completely composed. The numbers were exactly what he had predicted.

“Are you really sure it’s okay?”

“Yes. Looking at the trend, sales will peak by tomorrow and then begin to decline.”

If a highly anticipated triple-A title had launched on Steam at this exact moment, the excitement might have lasted several more days. However, ID Entertainment had scheduled their new game announcements for IDDC 2002, so there weren’t many fresh titles available for immediate purchase. Hardcore gamers had already bought what they wanted, making this a perfect event for those just beginning to buy legitimate copies.

Many people had suffered setbacks after using cracked versions and found them inconvenient. In contrast, Steam offered one-click installation and simple purchasing—an undeniably convenient tool. If a massive discount event could also create the feeling of getting a great deal even while spending money, legitimate game ownership would spread far faster and wider.

“How are the preparations for Steam’s IDDC 2002 going?”

“Of course, everything is proceeding smoothly. The Steam operations team and the game development team are completely separate, so this commotion hasn’t affected development at all. Development is already complete; we’re only polishing the details now. There’s no need to worry.”

Gabe’s expression through the ID Talk video meeting practically screamed, “Trust me.” Yoo Jae-won wanted to believe him. He could trust Gabe completely when it came to operating Steam. Game development, however, was another story. He knew all too well that Gabe had once struggled to count to three.

The revolutionary FPS Half-Life 3 had vanished into the ether, and the same could be said for several other projects.

“Understood. Right now, Steam operations are the priority. That said, do not neglect game development either.”

Steam was doing so well that game development had been pushed aside. Yoo Jae-won absolutely refused to let that happen again.

“Yes, Chairman!”

Satisfied with Gabe’s newly sharpened resolve, Yoo Jae-won ended the ID Talk video meeting with a pleased expression.

That satisfaction lasted only a moment.

“Jae-won! Jae-won! Quick, turn on the TV news!”

Tiffany, who rarely visited his study during work hours, burst in with a startled face and urged him to turn on the television. He had kept it off while focused on the video meeting. Since Tiffany wasn’t the type to overreact without reason, Yoo Jae-won picked up the remote and switched on the TV.

The screen was filled with World Cup coverage.

“The Korea team has created a miracle by defeating Italy, and Senegal—famous for shattering the Roble myth by beating France—has ridden that momentum to defeat Sweden as well, advancing to the quarterfinals.”

“Huh? Nothing seems out of the ordinary?”

“Not CNN—switch to a Korean channel!”

“Oh, it’s something happening in Korea?”

Only then did he realize the TV had been tuned to American CNN. Even after returning to Korea, he had been more focused on U.S. news, so the television was always set to CNN. At Tiffany’s prompting, Yoo Jae-won changed the channel to KBS.

The screen still showed World Cup news, but unlike CNN, a blue banner with white text ran across the bottom: “Chinese Fighter Jet Violates Korean Air Defense Identification Zone.”

“China?!”

Irritation flared clearly in Yoo Jae-won’s voice as he spoke the country’s name. The North Korean and U.S. Forces Korea issues had been handled smoothly, and the World Cup was proceeding as a resounding success. Yet a Chinese fighter jet had unauthorizedly entered Korea’s ADIZ and ruined everything at the last moment.

“This isn’t going to start a war, right?”

“Of course not. The fact that the jet returned safely to China and the news is being reported normally proves that.”

Although Tiffany had adapted remarkably well to life in Korea, she still hadn’t completely shaken off her anxiety about the possibility of war. To Yoo Jae-won it didn’t seem like a major incident, but to her it clearly felt like a serious threat. After all, although North and South Korea were co-hosting the 2002 World Cup, only a decade earlier the peninsula had frequently suffered armed provocations. Scholars around the world had long ranked Northeast Asia—home of the Korean Peninsula—as the second most likely flashpoint for World War III after the Middle East.

It appeared China was deliberately stoking those negative perceptions to cast a shadow over the 2002 World Cup and deflect domestic problems by creating external tensions. If that was the case, a simple ADIZ violation seemed too weak. There had to be something bigger.

As expected, Yoo Jae-won’s hunch was correct. That evening’s 9 p.m. news led not with the World Cup but with breaking coverage of a clash between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands.

The maritime territorial dispute between Japan and China has finally escalated into military conflict!

The islands—known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China—have long been a point of contention. Japan, which exercises effective control, recently announced strengthened enforcement against Chinese fishing vessels conducting illegal operations in the area. Today, a full-scale collision occurred.

The incident was straightforward. A Japanese maritime patrol vessel collided with a Chinese fishing boat operating illegally in the rich fishing grounds near the Senkaku Islands. It wasn’t merely a tense standoff; a 5,000-ton Japanese patrol ship had physically rammed a Chinese fishing vessel that was little more than a dinghy. The difference in tonnage was overwhelming.

Although it didn’t officially call itself a navy, Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force was the second strongest naval power in Northeast Asia after Russia. Upon receiving reports from the fishing boats, Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels rushed to the scene, and fighter jets were even deployed. After all, the Senkaku Islands were much closer to the Chinese mainland.

Those fighter jets had flown far enough to cross into Korea’s Air Defense Identification Zone, escalating the situation. Compared to the direct physical clash between China and Japan, Korea had gotten off relatively lightly, but it was an unmistakable sign that peace in Northeast Asia was fracturing.

In China, anti-Japanese sentiment was erupting like wildfire in major cities. Japan, for its part, maintained an uncompromising stance on territorial issues. It would have been nice if that consistency applied across the board, but Japan’s double standards remained as blatant as ever—especially regarding Dokdo.

The Senkaku Islands were originally discovered and administered by the Ryukyu Kingdom. Japan later incorporated the Ryukyu Kingdom as Okinawa Prefecture and used that as the basis for claiming the islands. China, meanwhile, based its claim on historical records from the Ming Dynasty dating back to 1403, treating the islands as a territory affiliated with Taiwan. By that same logic, there should be no dispute whatsoever regarding Dokdo. Yet when it came to that issue, Japan behaved exactly the same way China did.

“At least that’s a relief.”

“Yeah! We definitely shouldn’t go to China for a while.”

That was the shared impression of Yoo Jae-won and Tiffany after watching the news together. In truth, Yoo Jae-won’s thoughts were far more complex. There had been no anti-American backlash from the tragedy caused by U.S. Forces Korea, and the Battle of Yeonpyeong had never occurred. Instead, China ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and Japan were clashing far more fiercely and intensely than in the original timeline.

Predicting how these events would ultimately resolve was more difficult than solving the Y2K problem. Still, if a fire had to break out, it was better that it burned on the other side of the river rather than in their own house. Despite the unpleasant incident with China, the World Cup had continued without disruption and the Korean team kept exceeding expectations.

But no festival lasts forever.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup Inter-Korea, which had set the entire world ablaze for a month, came to a spectacular close with the final match between Brazil and Germany at Seoul’s Sangam World Cup Stadium. Brazil emerged victorious.

“The winner of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Inter-Korea is Brazil!”

The tournament had been perfectly organized and filled with one upset after another on the pitch. The biggest shock of all was the incredible performance of the Korea team, a unified squad of players from both North and South. They had fought their way all the way to the semifinals, where they once again faced Germany.

It was disappointing to lose, but there was a clear difference this time. In the previous timeline, they had been unable to break through the wall of German national team goalkeeper Oliver Kahn. This time, they had. The goal had been scored by North Korean player Kim Yong-su, who had been substituted in during the second half, giving it even deeper meaning.

The regret was that they couldn’t settle the match even after a hard-fought extra time. The game went to penalties. They had won the shootout against Spain, but this time they lost. It was an incredibly bitter result.

The entire Korean Peninsula sighed in unison at the Korea team’s defeat. Steam users around the world shared their disappointment.

However, the Steam event did not end with the semifinals. There was still the third-place match against Turkey. Yoo Jae-won hadn’t held high expectations for that game, but the Korea team defied predictions and won. Unlike the previous timeline—where an absurd early mistake had deflated them from the start—this match remained competitive until the final whistle. And with the victory, they added a brilliant finale to the miracle run of the Korea team.

Thus, the final placement for the Korean team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Inter-Korea was third place.

Accordingly, the final discount rate for the Steam Summer Festival coupon reached seventy percent. The roughly thirty percent of users who had held onto their coupons until the end received the full benefit. It was the most globally successful and impactful event ever held by any game company in history.

The festival of soccer fans and the festival of gamers had both come to an end.

Corporations now had to tally the results of the World Cup, and office workers had to return to their daily routines. But not Yoo Jae-won.

The mega-scale money performance that had been delayed because of the World Cup was only now ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠truly beginning.