Portal 2 PC outperformed console versions

By Fred Dutton Published 30 August, 2011

But vice versa for Left 4 Dead.

Portal 2 was more successful on the PC than it was on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Valve boss Gabe Newell has revealed.

Speaking in an interview with Gamasutra, he explained that the studio never sets out to make games to specifically appeal to PC or console gamers and is often surprised to see which version fares better.

"We can never predict; I mean we just try to build good games and then we tend to be surprised," he said. "Portal 2 did better on the PC than it did on the consoles; Left 4 Dead did better on the consoles than it did on the PC."

Newell didn't clarify whether he was referring to units sold or total revenue earned.

"So you know we don't try to guess, because we're not sure what value there is to guessing," he continued.

"We've never had a situation where we said, 'We really, really want to build something that is more popular for the console guys.' Because usually we have a bunch of other higher priority problems we want to solve. So we're glad that people want to play our games wherever they want to play."

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (52) Latest comment 9 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Alatair #1 9 months ago

    Weird, thought it'd be the other way around. Thought since the ad campaign for portal 2 was so intensive that the 360 and PS3 gamers whose population is greater than that of PC gamers (might be wrong, dunno) it would preform best on consoles.

  • Neil__ #2 9 months ago

    Tell me again how PC gaming is dying.
    When's that going to start exactly?

  • kupocake #3 9 months ago

    Wonder if the fact that the PC version came bundled with the PS3 version may have skewed this slightly.

  • Phoenisis #4 9 months ago

    When publishers and developers say that PC gaming is dying, what they're actually saying is that they would like to kill it, since they don't want to deal with the added complexity of designing a game capable of running on a wide range of hardware. The player base is still there.

  • MaxFN #5 9 months ago

    Portal 2 ads were all over steam, even in many games, it's like super-hit for steam, no surprises here. In that time Bulletstorm, great game sold on PC with incredible amount of 70 000 copies! So yes, PC gaming is dead.

  • MaxFN #6 9 months ago

    spacedelete, yes, you right, thats another reason.

  • kingz #7 9 months ago

    Most people with the free pc version bundled my the ps3 would not have been able to run it, so that's irrelevant. @MaxFN 1. GFWL 2. The game was was not a success on consoles either, so again irrelevant
    Edited by kingz at 30/08/11 @ 23:22

  • Xardan #8 9 months ago

    But L4D was only released on the 360 i thought. So L4D on the 360 alone outsold both console versions of Portal 2?

  • Froggit #9 9 months ago

    L4D sold more on Xbox
    Portal 2 sold more on PC

    Does not necessarily mean L4D Xbox sold more than Portal 2 on both consoles. All depends on the figures.

  • UncleLou #10 9 months ago

    Portal 2 ads were all over steam, even in many games, it's like super-hit for steam, no surprises here. In that time Bulletstorm, great game sold on PC with incredible amount of 70 000 copies! So yes, PC gaming is dead.

    That the same Bulletstorm that Epic complained about making no profit at all? Must have been a smash hit on consoles.

  • SneakyGun #11 9 months ago

    A contributing factor is the fact that PSN was down when it was released.

  • MaxFN #12 9 months ago

    Bulletstorm sold 1 000 000 copies on consoles and 70 000 copies on PC, so fellow PC players, please stop defend your dead platform, thank you.

  • bad09 #13 9 months ago

    Wait did someone really just use the fact only 70,000 people the bad sense to buy that turd Bulletstorm on PC as a good argument for PC dying? LOL brilliant logic there. It probably only sold 70,000 because...they actually released a demo of it. Yuck.. :)

    Anyways really surprised L4D sold more on console, it's a Valve game surely by PC gamer logic you must buy their game 3 or 4 times, then hand over your first born as some sort of blood scacrfice to the great god Gabe?

  • darkmorgado #14 9 months ago

    So I guess this will be overlooked by all the "PC is dead" retards, yes?

    PC IS STILL THE BIGGEST GAMING PLATFORM IN THE WORLD

  • wattsn26 #15 9 months ago

    I'm sure the PC version outperformed consoles with Portal 2 because the game was probably torrented 2 million times.......face it PC fangirls, the PC is dead, enjoy your MMOs and RTS's cause the day of quality PC exclusives is over, I'll be enjoying your former exclusive Witcher 2 on 360...
    Edited by wattsn26 at 30/08/11 @ 23:52

  • bad09 #16 9 months ago

    @wattsn26

    Nah I'll leave the MMOs (not the RTS though I'm getting into those!) and just stick with the supieror yet cheaper versions of all your console games. Enjoy The Witcher 2 you should it'll be great...albeit a tad inferior for you. ;)

  • deadstoned #17 9 months ago

    For those people asking why Bulletstorm did so terrible, GFWL reared its ugly head in it. GFWL even asked for a CD key to play the demo. So generally a lot of PC gamers don't touch GFWL.

  • Tubes #18 9 months ago

    @wattsn26

    I doubt Valve will be including pirated copies in their figures and of course console games are never torrented are they?


  • PearOfAnguish #19 9 months ago

    I'm sure the PC version outperformed consoles with Portal 2 because the game was probably torrented 2 million times

    This statement is so retarded it's almost painful to read.

  • MaxFN #20 9 months ago

    bad09, superior by what, amount of bugs? Or by lack of achievements? Or maybe by insane amount of cheaters in online? Sure you are superior guys. Since most developers care about only console versions of their games.

  • Lemming81 #21 9 months ago

    To above commenters:

    It's got nothing to do with the PC version being free with the PS3 version. It states in the article this is to do with SALES or TOTAL REVENUE EARNED. Neither of which can come from free copies of a game. The PC version earned more money.


    Think guys, seriously.

  • wattsn26 #22 9 months ago

    I'm gonna laugh when Battlefield 3 sells boatloads more on consoles after EA wasted time demoing the game on the PC, as if PC fangirls buy videogames anymore...why do you think CD Projekt is making The Witcher 2 for 360 and next PS3? iOS developers get more profit than PC developers

    You PC lovers can also enjoy console ports from here on out. The new Deus Ex for PC was a port, and I'm sure other developers will follow suit after Battlefield 3 bombs on PC
    Edited by wattsn26 at 31/08/11 @ 00:21

  • Tubes #23 9 months ago

    It may sell more on console, but i''ll still be playing the superior PC version

  • DrStrangelove #24 9 months ago

    Face it, Portal is a nerdy game. And I suspect the nerdier you are the more likely you are to spend your time in front of a PC/Mac screen instead of a TV with a console attached.

    Opposite with bowling down zombies. I'd expect a zombie game to be more attractive to console gamers compared to Portal.

    Please don't mistake me here, I don't want to propagate any black/white schemes, but I do think there's some truth to this.

  • bad09 #25 9 months ago

    @MaxFN

    Oh don't worry I'm not getting too far involved, just playing around with you idiot trolls before I'm off to bed, I don't really care about your "warz". I have a PC why would I worry about your toys?

  • roz123 #26 9 months ago

    I doubt battlefield 3 will bomb on the pc as when the recent battlefield vietnam expansion was released there was a race to unlock a new level based on the total number of team actions. Pc won that race easily.

    http://i.joystiq.com/2010/12/30/bfbc2-vi...

  • GooseUK #27 9 months ago

    A lot of very sensible comments are being negged here?

    What gives

  • SaintDaveUK #28 9 months ago

    Excuse me while I chuckle at all these pathetic "lol pc iz dyin, nobody buys videogames on pc anymor" comments. This very article states how some games sell better on PC. Grow the hell up.

  • doragonpawwa #29 9 months ago

    I don't know maybe pc gamers have sense? Bulletstorm was meh.

  • Neil__ #30 9 months ago

    @wattsn26
    Only a retard would judge a platform by exclusives, and boasting about it just makes you a selfish little prick who doesn't want others to enjoy the things he has.

  • madsox1 #31 9 months ago

    Yes redbarony u knob head, PC gamers clearly have a higher IQ on average. How about u get ur hand off your pin-dick and use some of that high IQ before posting in future :)

  • dagas #32 9 months ago

    PC gaming is dead*

    * Except for Blizzard, Valve, Indie games. MMO's and Casual games

    So not really dead, just changed. it's no longer about the big graphics heavy titles.

  • Paul_cz #33 9 months ago

    "So not really dead, just changed. it's no longer about the big graphics heavy titles."

    Except it is, too. I don't know about you, but I sure as hell love and enjoy awesome grahpics and gameplay heavyhitters like Witcher 2, Metro, Stalker, Crysis 2, Deus Ex 3, Skyrim, Dead Space 2 and so on and on...on my PC.

  • Subdominator #34 9 months ago

    Not exactly surprising. After all, it is a PC game, works much better with keyboard and mouse due to the aiming. In normal shooters you can avoid this on consoles with autoaim but in a game like Portal 2 autoaim is not possible. And it's not a very demanding game.

  • Toothball #35 9 months ago

    It'd expect that they're able to distinguish between PC sales of Portal and those redeemed through PS3s. If they weren't able to do so, this announcement would be meaningless. It's not really like they've anything to gain, as their games clearly sell well on PC and consoles. This seems to be an example that in spite of all these 'PC Gaming is Dead' comments, that you get a different picture depending on what game you check.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #36 9 months ago

    I'm a bit surprised that Left 4 Dead did better on consoles than on PC. I enjoy playing FPS games on consoles with a controller but for games like Left 4 Dead I personally think that Keyboard/Mouse controls are vital, especially on the hardest difficulty. I guess you don't really know that before you buy the game though and I'm sure that the gameplay was tweaked enough so that it's not an issue on consoles.

    Still, with Valve having a huge PC community behind I would have never imagined the console sales coming even close to those of the PC sales.

  • Drygore #37 9 months ago

    @Alatair Pc Gaming population is ofc potentially bigger, but it's probably very hard to estimate it's exact numbers. But just look at WoW, who had 13 million active users at one point. That's WoW alone.
    Edited by Drygore at 31/08/11 @ 08:38

  • Drygore #38 9 months ago

    @Phoenisis

    To be honest, it's more like it is people on forums etc that say such idiotic things, than it is devs and publishers. Can't come to think of a single dev or publisher who has actually said that.

  • UncleLou #39 9 months ago

    I love how it's now NEWS when a PC version of a game outsells a console version though lol.

    No, you don't. You're quite obviously gnashing your teeth.

  • Drygore #40 9 months ago

    @spacedelete

    I honestly think they don't count that.

  • Goodfella #41 9 months ago

    I love how it's now NEWS when a PC version of a game outsells a console version though lol.

    It's only news because there are so many idiots like you who insist PC gaming is dead, which is clearly far from the truth.

  • Pacmaninov #42 9 months ago

    L4D sold better on consoles.
    This is probably because PC gamers can't find 3 friends to play with, caused by the fact that they spend approximately 96.7% of their time looking for articles to write 'PC gaming is dead' on ironically

  • ZizouFC #43 9 months ago

    Wy tha neggin gaiz?

  • CaptainKid #44 9 months ago

    Another useless sales figure article without ALL the information.

  • bad09 #45 9 months ago

    @The13th

    Considering you're clearly a sock set up today to bitch about PC, calling PC gamers sad is more than a little ironic...tragic even......

  • DAN.E.B #46 9 months ago

    Left 4 Dead was a massive seller?
    So why are we STILL waiting for Valve to pull their fingers out and release some god damn DLC for it????

  • maximusfarticus #47 9 months ago

    @redbarony

    So, what your saying is, your gaming platform of choice is better than all the others and anyone who disagrees with you is an idiot?

    Wow, what an original and insightful thing to post on a gaming website!

    Cunt.

  • arcam #48 9 months ago

    What a mess this comments thread is.

  • geeza2020 #49 9 months ago

    PC Gamers - we have teh superior hardwarez!!!
    Console gamers - PC gamins ded!!!

    /thread
    /gives up

  • blackbriar101 #50 9 months ago

    1. Intelligent puzzle game sells well on PC and Mac.

    2. FPS co-op shooting waves of undead A.I. sells better on Console.

    3. Surprised.

    4. Neg and Run is a serious crime.

  • metatron197924 #51 9 months ago

    pc gaming dying folks, that the words from developers who have big pockets from the consoles i fucking like to dying at 60fps 1080p its a good death for sure go fuck your selfs money whores, crysis 2 new mod looks like pc dying for sure

  • uknortherner2000 #52 9 months ago

    @metatron197924

    Want to try posting that in English?