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Valve Hardware Reveal Undercuts Steam Make-Good for Indie Planet Centauri

The earlier wishlist email bug crippled its launch, with the make-good still moving over 5,000 copies—enough to keep the studio going for about a year.

Overview

  • Planet Centauri’s Daily Deal landed on Nov. 12, 2025, the same day Steam’s front page promoted the new Steam Machine, Steam Frame headset and a new controller.
  • Before release the game amassed roughly 130,000–138,000 wishlists, yet it sold only 581 copies in the first five days after 1.0 when launch emails failed to send.
  • Valve offered the front-page placement to compensate for lost visibility, and the studio selected the date from options before later describing the clash as “bad luck.”
  • The promotion moved more than 5,000 copies, which the developer says is below expectations but provides enough revenue to finish a second game.
  • Valve told the team the wishlist email bug has affected fewer than 100 releases since 2015, underscoring how platform glitches can disproportionately harm small studios.