News 
March 8, 2010 - 11:07am PST
Valve to Deliver Steam & Source on the Mac
Leading Gaming Service Expands to Mac PlatformMarch 8, 2010 - Valve announced today it will bring Steam, Valve's gaming service, and Source, Valve's gaming engine, to the Mac.
Steam and Valve's library of games including Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series will be available in April.
"As we transition from entertainment as a product to entertainment as a service, customers and developers need open, high-quality Internet clients," said Gabe Newell, President of Valve. "The Mac is a great platform for entertainment services."
"Our Steam partners, who are delivering over a thousand games to 25 million Steam clients, are very excited about adding support for the Mac," said Jason Holtman, Director of Business Development at Valve. "Steamworks for the Mac supports all of the Steamworks APIs, and we have added a new feature, called Steam Play, which allows customers who purchase the product for the Mac or Windows to play on the other platform free of charge. For example, Steam Play, in combination with the Steam Cloud, allows a gamer playing on their work PC to go home and pick up playing the same game at the same point on their home Mac. We expect most developers and publishers to take advantage of Steam Play."
"We looked at a variety of methods to get our games onto the Mac and in the end decided to go with native versions rather than emulation," said John Cook, Director of Steam Development. "The inclusion of WebKit into Steam, and of OpenGL into Source gives us a lot of flexibility in how we move these technologies forward. We are treating the Mac as a tier-1 platform so all of our future games will release simultaneously on Windows, Mac, and the Xbox 360. Updates for the Mac will be available simultaneously with the Windows updates. Furthermore, Mac and Windows players will be part of the same multiplayer universe, sharing servers, lobbies, and so forth. We fully support a heterogeneous mix of servers and clients. The first Mac Steam client will be the new generation currently in beta testing on Windows."
Portal 2 will be Valve's first simultaneous release for Mac and Windows. "Checking in code produces a PC build and Mac build at the same time, automatically, so the two platforms are perfectly in lock-step," said Josh Weier, Portal 2 Project Lead. "We're always playing a native version on the Mac right alongside the PC. This makes it very easy for us and for anyone using Source to do game development for the Mac."
Support for the Mac in Source and Steamworks is available to third parties immediately. Interested developers should contact Jason Holtman at jasonh@valvesoftware.com.
About Steam
The leading online service for games and digital entertainment, Steam delivers new releases and online services to over 25 million gamers around the world. For more information, please visit www.steampowered.com.
About Steamworks
The Steamworks suite of publishing and development tools include product key authentication, copy protection, auto-updating, social networking, matchmaking, anti-cheat technology, and more. The features and services available in Steamworks are offered free of charge and may be used for both electronic and tangible versions of games. For more information, please visit www.steampowered.com/steamworks.
March 5, 2010 - 9:44am PST
Portal 2 Announced
Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Left 4 Dead, Counter-Strike and Half-Life) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced Portal 2 for shipment this coming holiday season.Portal 2 is the sequel to 2007's Portal, which won 70 industry achievement awards.
For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com
February 23, 2010 - 4:43pm PST
STEAM UPDATE ANNOUNCED — PUBLIC BETA OPEN NOW
New Features Advance Leading Game Platform
February 23, 2010 -- Valve announces a new version of Steam which is immediately available in public beta.
In the last 12 months, Steam has grown 200%. There are now 25 million users, 1000+ games, 12 billion player minutes per month, and 75 billion Steam client minutes per month. To accommodate this growth, a new Steam client has been created.
This opt-in beta is available immediately to all Steam users. If users already have Steam installed on their computer, they can take part in the beta by clicking this link and then selecting "UI Update" under Beta Participation. If they don't have Steam installed, they can download it here. To preview the new Steam client without taking part in the beta, a complete rundown of the new features is available here.
Increasingly, the most effective way of reaching new gamers is through the existing players of a game. With the new Steam release, gamers will now be able to see which games their friends have purchased directly within the Steam storefront. 25 million gamers create a highly effective and knowledgeable source of purchase suggestions.
News outlets now have the ability to reach the Steam community through the new client's News aggregator functionality. Those organizations interested can contact Doug Lombardi at lombardi@valvesoftware.com.
With users purchasing more and more games through Steam, new methods of library management were needed. The new client introduces library customization tools to help gamers sort, group, and find games in libraries which for some hardcore players contain hundreds of titles. In addition to having lots of games, gamers needed methods of tracking all of their achievements in a standardized cross-game fashion, which is now possible with the new release.
"We made hundreds of changes to the Steam client as a result of customer feedback on the interface, performance, and functionality," said John Cook, Director of Steam Development at Valve. "For example, we swapped out the Internet Explorer rendering engine with WebKit, which gives us a bunch of size, stability and performance benefits. This release of Steam leaves us well prepared for another year of strong growth."
About Steam
The leading online platform for PC games and digital entertainment, Steam delivers new releases and online services to over 25 million PC users around the world. For more information, please visit steamgames.com.
About Valve
Valve is an entertainment software and technology company founded in 1996 and based in Bellevue, Washington. For more information, please visit valvesoftware.com.
January 29, 2010 - 9:31am PST
Steam Realizes Extraordinary Growth in 2009
Leading Platform for PC Games Now Serving Over 25 Million AccountsJanuary 29, 2010 — Valve® today announced extraordinary 2009 growth data for Steam, a leading platform for PC games and digital entertainment, with major increases in accounts, concurrent players, unit sales and more. The year also marked tremendous adoption of the Steamworks suite of publishing services in the tangible and electronic versions of many of the year's biggest releases.
During the last calendar year the platform surpassed 25 million active accounts, up 25% from the prior year. Of the 25 million accounts, over 10 million of those have profiles in the Steam Community.
In addition to the millions of new accounts created during the year, the peak number of concurrent users eclipsed the 2.5 million mark during the month of December, pushing Steam's average monthly player minutes to more than 13 billion.
Meanwhile, Steam now offers over 1,000 games from over 100 developers and publishers around the world. Unit sales for 2009 increased by more than 205%, marking the fifth straight year the platform has realized over 100% year-over-year growth in unit sales.
2009 also delivered a wave of titles supported by Steamworks, in tangible and electronic versions, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Dawn of War II, and Empire: Total War. Empire also used Steamworks for the delivery and management of its paid downloadable content releases.
“Steam turned five years old in March 2009,” said Gabe Newell, president of Valve. “With the introduction of each new platform feature released over the years — such as the Steam Community, Steam Cloud, and Steamworks — we've seen corresponding growth in account numbers, concurrent player numbers and developer support for the platform. As such, we plan to continue to expand and grow the platform to better serve the developers supporting the open platform and millions of gamers logging in each day.”
For more information, please visit www.steampowered.com
February 24, 2009 - 11:28am PST
Left 4 Dead 360 Update Released
A free update for the Xbox 360 version of Left 4 Dead is available now via Xbox Live. The update includes a host of fixes, tweaks and new features, including enhancements to Versus mode for improved competitive play. The full change list is:General
Fixed Survivors being able to climb surfaces marked for versus infected only Fixed a class of SurvivorBot bugs dealing with rescuing downed players Players can no longer grab ladders while flying through the air after a Tank punch Shooting near a car with an alarm that has already fired the alarm will no longer make chirping noises Fixed mini-gun physics exploit Fixed propane tanks (and other physics objects) causing players to fall through elevators Fixed rare achievement bug issues Fixed several map exploits
Versus Changes
Added HUD elements to show status of other infected players Fixed instance where a Survivor changing to the infected team would be attacked by infected bots Normalized special infected melee damage Fixed exploit where infected players could run away and teleport back to gain health Players can only change teams once per map Players can't change teams while other players are still loading Tank spawns at the same % through the map for both teams in versus mode Made the Tank and Witch spawn directly on the escape route Increased chance of getting the Tank or Witch Fixed team swap issue
Hunter
Easier to pounce a Survivor who is meleeing Increased Minimum damage a Hunter pounce does
Smoker
Fixed Smoker tongue tolerance
Smoker now has to be killed or the tongue destroyed for the tongue to break Survivors cannot bash someone off the tongue until the Survivor being pulled is paralyzed or hanging Tongue attacks that fail to paralyze or hang a Survivor will use the shorter ability delay timer Fixed cases where the ability timer was not using the correct time Fixed case where you could point at a Survivor but not register a tongue hit Fixed Smoker tongue not targeting and landing properly through PZ ghosts Smoker tongue does damage every second while dragging paralyzed Survivors
Tank
Bashable objects now appear with a red glow Tanks hitting a car with an alarm disables the alarm permanently Tank frustration timer is only reset by hitting Survivors with rocks or fists Reduced autoshotgun damage against Tanks
Witch
Witch spawns at the same % through the map for both teams Avoids spawning within a certain % of the tank Fixed an exploit where the Witch could be woken up and tricked into attacking Survivors
February 5, 2009 - 10:47am PST
Left 4 Dead Critic's Choice Edition, DLC and SDK Details Revealed
Valve's Zombie Thriller Expanding In 2009February 5, 2009 — Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress, and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced a series of content and development releases for its latest title, 2008's best-selling new game property for the PC and Xbox 360, Left 4 Dead (L4D).
The first L4D DLC — dubbed the L4D Survival Pack -- is due for release this spring and introduces a new multiplayer game mode entitled, Survival, plus two complete campaigns for Versus Mode . A Critic's Choice Edition of the game will be heading to retail stores this spring, and will include access to all the content introduced in the L4D: Survival Pack.
In addition, for PC gamers and aspiring developers, the first Left 4 Dead release for the Source Software Development Kit (Source SDK) will allow the creation of custom Left 4 Dead campaigns that will be discoverable via L4D's matchmaking system. The SDK update is also due for release this spring, and is free of charge to all owners of L4D on the PC.
"Since Half-Life launched in 1998, Valve has made continuous efforts to expand the offering of its products beyond what's included on the day of launch," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "With Half-Life and Counter-Strike, and more recently Team Fortress 2, we've learned that we're no longer making stand-alone games but creating entertainment services. With Left 4 Dead we're extending that tradition by creating additional gameplay and releasing our internal tools to aspiring developers so they may also create and distribute new Left 4 Dead experiences."
Left 4 Dead is a survival action game from Valve that blends the social entertainment experience of multiplayer games such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress with the dramatic, narrative experience made popular in single player action game classics such as the Half-Life series of games. Released in November of 2008, L4D has earned over 25 industry awards from outlets around the world.
For more information, please visit www.l4d.com
May 1, 2008 - 10:34am PST
Steamworks Development Kit Available Now
Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the release of the Steamworks Software Development Kit (SDK).Steamworks is a complete suite of publishing and development tools that offers PC game developers and publishers access to the game features and services available through Steam. These include product key authentication, copy protection, auto-updating, social networking, matchmaking, anti-cheat technology, and more. The features and services available in Steamworks are offered free of charge and may be used for both electronic and tangible versions of games.
The Official Steamworks SDK includes a fully functional API for all the components offered in Steamworks. Available now to developers and publishers worldwide, the SDK also includes a multiplayer game example to demonstrate many of the features in action. In addition, the Steamworks partner web site (http://partner.steamgames.com) has been updated with documentation outlining the ease of use of the API, authoring and editing of achievements, gameplay statistics, and more.
"In working with developers on the pre-release SDK, our focus has been on making it as easy as possible for them to integrate Steamworks into their games," said Jason Holtman, director of business development at Valve. "They get access to these tools and services in a proven, scalable, and simple to work with package that has already been deployed to millions of gamers worldwide."
Steam is a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC games and digital content. With over 15 million active accounts and more than 300 games, plus hundreds of movie files and game demos available, Steam has become a frequent destination for millions of gamers around the world.
April 29, 2008 - 5:59pm PST
Team Fortress 2: Gold Rush Update Available Now
The Team Fortress 2: Gold Rush Update is now available, free to owners of Team Fortress 2 via Steam. The Gold Rush Update introduces the new Gold Rush map and Payload gameplay style, the first set of unlockable weapons, and a new set of achievements for the Medic.In other TF2 news, a worldwide Team Fortress 2 Free Weekend will begin Friday at noon PDT, and will include access to the new content released today in the TF2: Gold Rush Update. Using the functionality made available through Steam and Steamworks, all of the files needed to join the Free Weekend are available for pre-loading now.
The Free Weekend is open to players around the world, and there is no obligation to purchase to participate; all that is needed is a Steam account to join.
To start pre-loading everything you need to play on Friday and learn more about Team Fortress 2, please visit www.steamgames.com/goldrush
March 13, 2008 - 1:02pm PST
PC Games From The Orange Box Flying Solo Into Retail April 9 and 11
March 13, 2008 - Valve, creators of Half-Life® 2 and Counter-Strike®, today announce the retail launch dates for the stand-alone, PC versions of Team Fortress® 2, PortalTM, and the Half-Life 2: Episode Pack are April 9th in North America and April 11th around the globe.Portal - the unique single player game that mixes puzzle, adventure and first-person action - is expected to retail for approximately $19.99. Portal has been named Game of the Year by over 30 publications worldwide and earned 40 more awards for special achievements in game design, writing, and music ("Still Alive" by GLaDOS and Jonathon Coulton).
Team Fortress 2 (TF2), the sequel to the game that put team-based, multiplayer gaming on the map, is expected to retail for approximately $29.99. TF2 has been named Multiplayer Game of the Year by Gamespy.com, PC Gamer magazine, and other leading media outlets. This retail version, like all PC versions of TF2, includes the recently released Badlands map and the ability to receive auto updates via Steam® including the upcoming release of Goldrush, a new gameplay mode and map that combines the escort style gameplay of Hunted with the timed attack and defend gameplay of Dustbowl.
The Half-Life 2 Episode Pack - which includes both of the award winning new episodes for the highest rated and best selling first-person action franchise of all time, plus Half-Life 2 Deathmatch for online play - is expected to retail for just $29.99. As was the case with The Orange Box, customers who already own one of these titles will have the ability to conveniently "gift" the game via Steam to a friend.
"Given the unique nature and length of the games inside The Orange Box, the compilation approach was the right vehicle for the debut of these titles at retail," said Doug Lombardi, vice president of marketing at Valve. "With the flexibility of having different pricing and packaging options via Steam, we were able to test the market viability of the individual products. The results show an overwhelming demand for these stand-alone offerings as well as The Orange Box. This gives us tremendous confidence as we bring gamers more ways to get these titles at retail."
All three packages include support for Steamworks achievements, automatic updates and more, and do not require Half-Life 2 to play.
January 29, 2008 - 2:43pm PST
Valve Unveils Steamworks
Complete Suite of Publishing Tools Available Free of ChargeJanuary 29, 2008 – Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announce Steamworks, a complete suite of publishing and development tools – ranging from copy protection to social networking services to server browsing – is now available free of charge to developers and publishers worldwide.
Steamworks, the same suite of tools used in best-selling PC titles Half-Life 2 and The Orange Box, is available for all PC games distributed via retail and leading online platforms such as Steam. The services included in Steamworks may be used a la carte or in any combination.
Specifically, Steamworks offers:
• Real-time stats on sales, gameplay, and product activation: Know exactly how well your title is selling before the charts are released. Find out how much of your game is being played. Login into your Steamworks account pages and view up to the hour information regarding worldwide product activations and player data.
• State of the art encryption system: Stop paying to have your game pirated before it’s released. Steamworks takes anti-piracy to a new level with strong encryption that keeps your game locked until the moment it is released.
• Territory/version control: The key-based authentication provided in Steamworks also provides territory/version controls to help curb gray market importing and deliver territory-specific content to any given country or region.
• Auto updating: Ensures all customers are playing the latest and greatest version of your games.
• Voice chat: Available for use both in and out of game.
• Multiplayer matchmaking: Steamworks offers you all the multiplayer backend and matchmaking services that have been created to support Counter-Strike and Team Fortress 2, the most played action games in the world.
• Social networking services: With support for achievements, leaderboards, and avatars, Steamworks allows you to give your gamers as many rewards as you would like, plus support for tracking the world’s best professional and amateur players of your game.
• Development tools: Steamworks allows you to administer private betas which can be updated multiple times each day. Also includes data collection tools for QA, play testing, and usability studies.
“Developers and publishers are spending more and more time and money cobbling together all the tools and backend systems needed to build and launch a successful title in today’s market,” said Gabe Newell, president of Valve. “Steamworks puts all those tools and systems together in one free package, liberating publishers and developers to concentrate on the game instead of the plumbing.”
“As more developers and publishers have embraced Steam as a leading digital distribution channel, we’ve heard a growing number of inquiries regarding the availability of the platform’s services and tools,” said Jason Holtman, director business development at Valve. “Offering Steamworks is part of our ongoing efforts to support the needs of game developers and our publishing partners.”
Steam is a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC games and digital content. With over 13 million active accounts and more than 250 games, plus hundreds of movie files and game demos available, Steam has become a frequent destination for millions of gamers around the world.
Click here for more information regarding Steamworks. To find out about more about Steamworks contact jasonh@valvesoftware.com