Steam, Valve’s digital distribution platform, marks its 20th anniversary, and there’s plenty to celebrate.
While Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are the champions of console gaming, for PC gamers, Valve, with its digital games distribution platform, Steam, has become the undisputed leader.
Lead by the lovingly nicknamed Lord Gaben, Valve has become one of the largest private video game companies in the world with no signs of slowing down.
For its 20th birthday celebration, Valve is offering up to a 90 percent discount on most of its games, which includes a rare price cut on Half-Life: Alyx, one of the company’s most recent outings. More importantly, the celebratory sale page takes users on a trip down memory lane, showing highlights from the platform’s two-decade history and allowing them to purchase the “Top Games” from specific milestone years. For instance, the original Portal game can be bought for a mere $0.99.
Nostalgia is a tricky thing. While the celebration touches on some of the highs of Steam’s journey, it doesn’t take a deep dive into the initial challenges the platform faced. In 2003, digital distribution was a mere novel concept. At the time, a lot of gamers still preferred purchasing the physical copies of games from stores. The atmosphere changed when Valve launched Half-Life 2, requiring players to use Steam and an internet connection even for its single-player mode. It was a move that sparked outrage. In a way, it mirrored the always-online model that’s prevalent in so many games today, such as Diablo 4. But, as time passed, the convenient distribution model, coupled with Steam’s irresistible sales, lured users in droves.
Today, the platform boasts cloud save backups, hubs for player-created content, social features, and has even dabbled in creating its hardware with products like the Steam Deck, with plans to do more.
Valve’s birthday celebration for Steam is immersive. Players logging into Steam are welcomed with a banner designed to commemoratr the 20th anniversary. The platform’s homepage has even been nostalgically redesigned to mirror its 2003 aesthetic. Alongside game discounts, players can enjoy fun facts from Steam’s history adorned with artwork of Valve characters playfully mimicking memorable memes and cultural references over the years.
Apart from Valve’s catalog, the sale also features other top-selling games from each year, ranging from Assassin’s Creed Origins to all Call of Duty titles, with the sole exception of Modern Warfare 3.
The platform’s journey since its announcement in 2002 has been nothing short of monumental. From its initial intention of simplifying game updates, Steam has constantly evolved. It started as the go-to platform for the release of in-house games like Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and then continued to add features, supporting software and hardware to make gaming a comprehensive experience. Features like Steam Cloud, Big Picture Mode, trading cards, family sharing, Early Access for developers, Steam VR, and the introduction of hardware like the Steam Controller and the HTC Vive headset, have made the platform a powerhouse in the gaming community.
With games like DOTA 2 and Counter-Strike 2 leading the way, the future of Steamand Valve are as bright as ever.
Finally, Valve expressed its gratitude through a message on the official Steam YouTube channel.
The celebrations and discounts will last until September 19.
Looking back, Steam’s evolution from merely a tool for updating Counter-Strike to a complete gaming ecosystem has been remarkable. Valve’s efforts in transforming the gaming industry from physical to digital, bringing auto-updating, matchmaking, and other conveniences, have made Steam a dominant force.
As gamers bask in the celebratory atmosphere, it’s hard to believe that two decades have flown by since Steam’ went online. With myriad games available at slashed prices, now is a great time for both nostalgia-driven old-timers and new enthusiasts to delve into the world of Steam.
It remains to be seen if Epic Games will “counter” what Valve is doing at the moment. The Epic Games Store has made several attempts to usurp Steam, including the launch of the Epic First Run program.
