Computers

Valve to open Steam to non-game software

Valve has announced that its distribution platform, Steam, will expand beyond game software this September (Photo: opticalreflex)
Valve has announced that its distribution platform, Steam, will expand beyond game software this September (Photo: opticalreflex)

Game developer and distributor Valve has announced that come September 5, its online distribution platform Steam is to begin selling non-game software.

Applications distributed via Steam will benefit from its support for automatic updating and Cloud-storage for users' personal files so that they can be accessed from different internet-enabled computers, the latter feature currently being put to use for storing game save files.

Though no specific software has yet been announced, Valve will invite software developers to submit their programs through Steam Greenlight, a system that grants the Steam community a say in which titles will see eventual release.

Strictly speaking, the announcement constitutes an expansion of Steam's non-game catalog, as Valve already ships its (admittedly gamer-oriented) Source Filmmaker machinima-creation tool through the service.

Rumors that Microsoft is hurriedly building online team death match functionality into PowerPoint for Office 2013 in response to Valve's announcement are yet to be confirmed.

Source: Valve

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2 comments
Daishi
I think the idea of letting the steam community help decide which apps get approved is really cool. With games when you get a crappy game it usually just isn't fun to play, with software it rootkits your OS, bundles adware/spyware, changes home pages, installs toolbars, and runs at startup.
Emilio Reyes
That last line made me laugh my ass off at work. Thanks James!