<s>
Steam	O
offers	O
various	O
features	O
,	O
like	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
(	O
DRM	O
)	O
,	O
game	O
server	O
matchmaking	O
,	O
anti-cheat	B-Application
measures	I-Application
,	O
social	O
networking	O
and	O
game	O
streaming	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
released	O
a	O
freely	O
available	O
application	B-Application
programming	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
API	B-Application
)	O
called	O
Steamworks	O
in	O
2008	O
,	O
which	O
developers	O
can	O
use	O
to	O
integrate	O
Steam	O
's	O
functions	O
into	O
their	O
products	O
,	O
including	O
in-game	O
achievements	O
,	O
microtransactions	O
,	O
and	O
user-created	O
content	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
developed	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
,	O
Steam	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
macOS	B-Operating_System
in	O
2010	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mobile	B-Application
apps	I-Application
to	O
access	O
online	O
Steam	O
features	O
were	O
first	O
released	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
platform	O
also	O
offers	O
other	O
digital	O
content	O
and	O
Valve	O
gaming	O
hardware	O
,	O
including	O
productivity	O
software	O
,	O
game	O
soundtracks	O
,	O
videos	O
and	O
VR	B-Device
headset	I-Device
Valve	B-Device
Index	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
success	O
of	O
Steam	O
has	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Machine	I-Device
line	O
of	O
gaming	O
PCs	O
in	O
2015	O
,	O
which	O
includes	O
the	O
SteamOS	B-Application
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
and	O
Steam	B-Device
Controller	I-Device
,	O
Steam	O
Link	O
devices	O
for	O
local	O
game	O
streaming	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
handheld	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
tailored	O
for	O
running	O
Steam	B-Application
games	I-Application
in	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
had	O
entered	O
into	O
a	O
publishing	O
contract	O
with	O
Sierra	O
Studios	O
in	O
1997	O
ahead	O
of	O
the	O
1998	O
release	O
of	O
Half-Life	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
published	O
additional	O
games	O
through	O
Sierra	O
,	O
including	O
expansions	O
for	O
Half-Life	B-Application
and	O
Counter-Strike	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
1999	O
,	O
as	O
Valve	O
started	O
work	O
on	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
the	O
new	O
Source	B-Application
engine	I-Application
,	O
they	O
became	O
concerned	O
about	O
their	O
contract	O
with	O
Sierra	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
IP	O
rights	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
two	O
companies	O
negotiated	O
a	O
new	O
contract	O
by	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
decided	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
platform	O
that	O
would	O
update	O
games	O
automatically	O
and	O
implement	O
stronger	O
anti-piracy	O
and	O
anti-cheat	B-Application
measures	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
demonstrate	O
the	O
ease	O
of	O
integrating	O
Steam	O
with	O
a	O
game	O
,	O
Relic	O
Entertainment	O
created	O
a	O
special	O
version	O
of	O
its	O
game	O
Impossible	B-Language
Creatures	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
mod	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
system	O
was	O
Day	B-Application
of	I-Application
Defeat	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2004	O
,	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
offered	O
digitally	O
on	O
Steam	O
and	O
require	O
installation	O
of	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
to	O
play	O
for	O
retail	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
requirement	O
of	O
Steam	O
was	O
met	O
with	O
concerns	O
about	O
software	O
ownership	O
,	O
software	O
requirements	O
,	O
and	O
problems	O
with	O
overloaded	O
servers	O
demonstrated	O
previously	O
by	O
the	O
Counter-Strike	B-Application
rollout	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2005	O
,	O
third-party	O
developers	O
were	O
contracted	O
to	O
release	O
games	O
on	O
Steam	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Rag	B-Application
Doll	I-Application
Kung	I-Application
Fu	I-Application
and	O
Darwinia	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2007	O
,	O
ATI	O
included	O
Steam	O
in	O
the	O
ATI	B-Application
Catalyst	I-Application
GPU	O
driver	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
offering	O
a	O
free	O
Steam	O
copy	O
of	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Lost	I-Application
Coast	I-Application
and	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Deathmatch	I-Application
to	O
ATI	O
Radeon	O
owners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2008	O
,	O
Nvidia	O
promoted	O
Steam	O
in	O
the	O
GeForce	B-Application
GPU	O
driver	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
offering	O
a	O
free	O
Steam	O
copy	O
of	O
Portal	O
:	O
The	O
First	O
Slice	O
to	O
Nvidia	O
hardware	O
owners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Traditional	O
retail	O
versions	O
of	O
games	O
required	O
mandatory	O
installation	O
of	O
Steam	O
,	O
Call	B-Application
of	I-Application
Duty	I-Application
:	I-Application
Modern	I-Application
Warfare	I-Application
2	I-Application
from	O
Activision	O
in	O
2009	O
,	O
Fallout	B-Application
:	I-Application
New	I-Application
Vegas	I-Application
from	O
Bethesda	O
Softworks	O
in	O
2010	O
and	O
Dragon	B-Application
Age	I-Application
II	I-Application
from	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Arts	O
removed	O
some	O
of	O
its	O
games	O
from	O
Steam	O
because	O
of	O
restrictive	O
terms	O
of	O
service	O
related	O
to	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
in	O
2011	O
and	O
launched	O
its	O
games	O
beginning	O
with	O
Mass	B-Application
Effect	I-Application
3	I-Application
on	O
its	O
Origin	B-Operating_System
service	O
and	O
other	O
stores	O
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
Ubisoft	O
games	O
started	O
to	O
require	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
to	O
run	O
after	O
launching	O
the	O
game	O
from	O
Steam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
Ubisoft	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
stop	O
selling	O
their	O
future	O
games	O
on	O
Steam	O
starting	O
with	O
Tom	B-Application
Clancy	I-Application
's	I-Application
The	I-Application
Division	I-Application
2	I-Application
because	O
Valve	O
would	O
not	O
modify	O
its	O
revenue	O
sharing	O
model	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
company	O
simultaneously	O
announcing	O
a	O
deal	O
with	O
Epic	O
Games	O
to	O
start	O
selling	O
their	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
recently	O
launched	O
Epic	O
Games	O
Store	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
uPlay	B-Operating_System
(	O
which	O
would	O
later	O
be	O
rebranded	O
to	O
Ubisoft	B-Operating_System
Connect	I-Operating_System
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2019	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
distributed	O
its	O
games	O
on	O
Steam	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
the	B-Application
Microsoft	I-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
EA	O
started	O
to	O
publish	O
select	O
games	O
on	O
Steam	O
,	O
and	O
offering	O
its	O
rebranded	O
subscription	O
service	O
EA	B-Application
Play	I-Application
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
Ubisoft	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
return	O
to	O
selling	O
its	O
recent	O
games	O
on	O
Steam	O
after	O
leaving	O
the	O
storefront	O
in	O
2019	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
Assassin	B-Application
's	I-Application
Creed	I-Application
Valhalla	I-Application
,	O
citing	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
"	O
constantly	O
evaluating	O
how	O
to	O
bring	O
our	O
games	O
to	O
different	O
audiences	O
wherever	O
they	O
are	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
Valve	O
was	O
required	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
publisher	O
for	O
these	O
games	O
since	O
they	O
had	O
sole	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
Steam	O
's	O
database	O
and	O
engine	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Steamworks	O
software	B-Application
development	I-Application
kit	I-Application
(	O
SDK	O
)	O
in	O
May	O
2008	O
,	O
anyone	O
could	O
integrate	O
Steam	O
into	O
their	O
game	O
without	O
Valve	O
's	O
direct	O
involvement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
intended	O
to	O
"	O
make	O
DRM	O
obsolete	O
"	O
as	O
games	O
released	O
on	O
Steam	O
had	O
traditional	O
anti-piracy	O
measures	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
assignment	O
and	O
distribution	O
of	O
product	B-Application
keys	I-Application
and	O
support	O
for	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
software	O
tools	O
such	O
as	O
SecuROM	B-Operating_System
or	O
non-malicious	O
rootkits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
are	O
not	O
limited	O
to	O
Steam	O
's	O
CEG	O
and	O
may	O
include	O
other	O
forms	O
of	O
DRM	O
(	O
or	O
none	O
at	O
all	O
)	O
and	O
other	O
authentication	O
services	O
than	O
Steam	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
some	O
games	O
from	O
publisher	O
Ubisoft	O
require	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
their	O
UPlay	B-Operating_System
gaming	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
games	O
required	O
Games	B-Application
for	I-Application
Windows	I-Application
–	O
Live	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
many	O
transitioned	O
to	O
using	O
the	O
Steamworks	O
CEG	O
approach	O
following	O
its	O
shutdown	O
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2007	O
,	O
Steam	O
achievements	O
were	O
added	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
Xbox	B-Device
360	O
Achievements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2008	O
,	O
Valve	O
added	O
support	O
for	O
Steam	O
Cloud	O
,	O
a	O
service	O
that	O
can	O
automatically	O
store	O
saved	O
game	O
and	O
related	O
custom	O
files	O
on	O
Valve	O
's	O
servers	O
;	O
users	O
can	O
access	O
this	O
data	O
from	O
any	O
machine	O
running	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cloud	O
saving	O
was	O
expanded	O
in	O
January	O
2022	O
for	O
Dynamic	O
Cloud	O
Sync	O
,	O
allowing	O
games	O
developed	O
with	O
this	O
feature	O
to	O
store	O
saved	O
states	O
to	O
Steam	O
Cloud	O
while	O
a	O
game	O
is	O
running	O
rather	O
than	O
waiting	O
until	O
the	O
user	O
quit	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
;	O
this	O
was	O
added	O
ahead	O
of	O
the	O
portable	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
unit	O
so	O
that	O
users	O
can	O
save	O
from	O
the	O
Deck	O
and	O
then	O
put	O
the	O
unit	O
into	O
a	O
suspended	O
state	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
added	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
manage	O
their	O
game	O
libraries	O
from	O
remote	O
clients	O
,	O
including	O
computers	O
and	O
mobile	O
devices	O
;	O
users	O
can	O
instruct	O
Steam	O
to	O
download	O
and	O
install	O
games	O
they	O
own	O
through	O
this	O
service	O
if	O
their	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
is	O
currently	O
active	O
and	O
running	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Product	B-Application
keys	I-Application
sold	O
through	O
third-party	O
retailers	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
redeemed	O
on	O
Steam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
games	O
that	O
incorporate	O
Steamworks	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
buy	O
redemption	O
codes	O
from	O
other	O
vendors	O
and	O
redeem	O
these	O
in	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
to	O
add	O
the	O
title	O
to	O
their	O
libraries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steam	O
also	O
offers	O
a	O
framework	O
for	O
selling	O
and	O
distributing	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
(	O
DLC	B-Protocol
)	O
for	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
Family	O
View	O
,	O
introduced	O
in	O
January	O
2014	O
,	O
parents	O
can	O
adjust	O
settings	O
for	O
their	O
children	O
's	O
tied	O
accounts	O
,	O
limiting	O
the	O
functionality	O
and	O
accessibility	O
to	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
and	O
purchased	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
accordance	O
with	O
its	O
acceptable	B-Application
use	I-Application
policy	I-Application
,	O
Valve	O
retains	O
the	O
right	O
to	O
block	O
customers	O
 '	O
access	O
to	O
their	O
games	O
and	O
Steam	B-Application
services	I-Application
when	O
Valve	O
's	O
Anti-Cheat	O
(	O
VAC	O
)	O
software	O
determines	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
is	O
cheating	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
,	O
selling	O
accounts	O
to	O
others	O
,	O
or	O
trading	O
games	O
to	O
exploit	O
regional	O
price	O
differences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
later	O
changed	O
its	O
policy	O
to	O
be	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
 '	O
Origin	B-Operating_System
platform	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
blocked	O
users	O
can	O
still	O
access	O
their	O
games	O
but	O
are	O
heavily	O
restricted	O
,	O
limited	O
to	O
playing	O
in	O
offline	O
mode	O
and	O
unable	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
Steam	O
Community	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
includes	O
a	O
digital	O
storefront	O
called	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
Store	I-Application
through	O
which	O
users	O
can	O
purchase	O
computer	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Content	O
is	O
delivered	O
from	O
an	O
international	O
network	O
of	O
servers	O
using	O
a	O
proprietary	B-Application
file	O
transfer	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
April	O
2016	O
until	O
December	O
2017	O
,	O
Steam	O
accepted	O
payments	O
in	O
Bitcoin	B-Protocol
with	O
transactions	O
handled	O
by	O
BitPay	O
before	O
dropping	O
support	O
for	O
it	O
due	O
to	O
high	O
fluctuation	O
in	O
value	O
and	O
costly	O
service	O
fees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2010	O
,	O
the	O
Steam	O
Translation	O
Server	O
project	O
offers	O
Steam	O
users	O
to	O
assist	O
with	O
the	O
translation	O
of	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
,	O
storefront	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
selected	O
library	O
of	O
Steam	B-Application
games	I-Application
for	O
twenty-eight	O
languages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steam	O
also	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
purchase	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
for	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
some	O
specific	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
purchase	O
in-game	O
inventory	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Steam	B-Application
store	I-Application
also	O
enables	O
users	O
to	O
redeem	O
store	O
product	B-Application
keys	I-Application
to	O
add	O
software	O
from	O
their	O
library	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
users	O
can	O
subsequently	O
rate	O
these	O
reviews	O
as	O
helpful	O
,	O
humorous	O
,	O
or	O
otherwise	O
unhelpful	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
then	O
used	O
to	O
highlight	O
the	O
most	O
useful	O
reviews	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
Steam	B-Application
store	I-Application
page	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
prevent	O
observed	O
abuse	O
of	O
the	O
review	O
system	O
by	O
developers	O
or	O
other	O
third-party	O
agents	O
,	O
Valve	O
modified	O
the	O
review	O
system	O
in	O
September	O
2016	O
to	O
discount	O
review	O
scores	O
for	O
a	O
game	O
from	O
users	O
that	O
activated	O
the	O
product	O
through	O
a	O
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
rather	O
than	O
directly	O
purchased	O
by	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
though	O
their	O
reviews	O
remain	O
visible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
Valve	O
announced	O
in	O
March	O
2019	O
that	O
it	O
mark	O
reviews	O
they	O
believe	O
are	O
"	O
off-topic	O
"	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
a	O
review	O
bomb	O
,	O
and	O
eliminate	O
their	O
contribution	O
to	O
summary	O
review	O
scores	O
;	O
the	O
first	O
such	O
games	O
they	O
took	O
action	O
on	O
with	O
this	O
was	O
the	O
Borderlands	O
games	O
after	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
Borderlands	B-Application
3	I-Application
would	O
be	O
a	O
timed-exclusive	O
to	O
the	O
Epic	O
Games	O
Store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
mid-2011	O
,	O
Valve	O
began	O
to	O
offer	O
free-to-play	O
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Global	B-Application
Agenda	I-Application
,	O
Spiral	B-Application
Knights	I-Application
and	O
Champions	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
;	O
this	O
offer	O
was	O
linked	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
move	O
to	O
make	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
a	O
free-to-play	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
included	O
support	O
via	O
Steamworks	O
for	O
microtransactions	O
for	O
in-game	O
items	O
in	O
these	O
games	O
through	O
Steam	O
's	O
purchasing	O
channels	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
similar	O
manner	O
to	O
the	O
in-game	O
store	O
for	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2013	O
,	O
Valve	O
added	O
subscription-based	O
game	O
support	O
to	O
Steam	O
;	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
use	O
this	O
service	O
was	O
Darkfall	B-Protocol
Unholy	I-Protocol
Wars	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creativity	O
and	O
productivity	O
applications	O
can	O
access	O
the	O
core	B-Device
functions	O
of	O
the	O
Steamworks	O
API	B-Application
,	O
allowing	O
them	O
to	O
use	O
Steam	O
's	O
simplified	O
installation	O
and	O
updating	O
process	O
,	O
and	O
incorporate	O
features	O
including	O
cloud	O
saving	O
and	O
Steam	O
Workshop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steam	O
also	O
allows	O
game	O
soundtracks	O
to	O
be	O
purchased	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
via	O
Steam	O
Music	O
or	O
integrated	O
with	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
other	O
media	B-Application
players	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
adjusted	O
its	O
approach	O
to	O
soundtracks	O
in	O
2020	O
,	O
no	O
longer	O
requiring	O
them	O
to	O
be	O
offered	O
as	O
DLC	B-Protocol
,	O
meaning	O
that	O
users	O
can	O
buy	O
soundtracks	O
to	O
games	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
own	O
,	O
and	O
publishers	O
can	O
offer	O
soundtracks	O
to	O
games	O
not	O
on	O
Steam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
Warner	O
Bros	O
.	O
Entertainment	O
offering	O
the	O
Mad	B-Device
Max	I-Device
films	O
alongside	O
the	O
September	O
2015	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
game	B-Device
based	I-Device
on	I-Device
the	I-Device
series	I-Device
,	O
Lionsgate	O
entered	O
into	O
agreement	O
with	O
Valve	O
to	O
rent	O
over	O
one	O
hundred	O
feature	O
films	O
from	O
its	O
catalog	O
through	O
Steam	O
starting	O
in	O
April	O
2016	O
,	O
with	O
more	O
films	O
following	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
available	O
,	O
users	O
could	O
also	O
purchase	O
Steam	B-Device
Machine	I-Device
related	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
policy	O
change	O
was	O
seen	O
by	O
journalists	O
as	O
trying	O
to	O
entice	O
larger	O
developers	O
to	O
stay	O
with	O
Steam	O
rather	O
than	O
other	O
digital	O
storefronts	O
like	O
Origin	B-Operating_System
or	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
,	O
while	O
the	O
decision	O
was	O
also	O
met	O
with	O
backlash	O
from	O
indie	O
and	O
other	O
small	O
game	O
developers	O
,	O
as	O
their	O
revenue	O
split	O
remained	O
unchanged	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
added	O
Steam	O
Guard	O
functionality	O
to	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
in	O
March	O
2011	O
to	O
protect	O
against	O
the	O
hijacking	O
of	O
accounts	O
via	O
phishing	O
schemes	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
largest	O
support	O
problems	O
Valve	O
had	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steam	O
Guard	O
was	O
advertised	O
to	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
identity	O
protection	O
provided	O
by	O
Intel	O
's	O
second-generation	O
Core	B-Device
processors	O
and	O
compatible	O
motherboard	O
hardware	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
lock	O
their	O
account	O
to	O
a	O
specific	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
APIs	B-Application
for	O
Steam	O
Guard	O
are	O
available	O
to	O
third-party	O
developers	O
through	O
Steamworks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steam	O
Guard	O
also	O
offers	O
two-factor	O
,	O
risk-based	O
authentication	O
that	O
uses	O
a	O
one-time	O
verification	O
code	O
sent	O
to	O
a	O
verified	O
email	O
address	O
associated	O
with	O
the	O
Steam	O
account	O
;	O
this	O
was	O
later	O
expanded	O
to	O
include	O
two-factor	O
authentication	O
through	O
the	O
Steam	O
mobile	B-Application
application	I-Application
,	O
known	O
as	O
Steam	O
Guard	O
Mobile	O
Authenticator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2015	O
,	O
between	O
Steam-based	O
game	O
inventories	O
,	O
trading	O
cards	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
goods	I-General_Concept
attached	O
to	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
account	O
,	O
Valve	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
potential	O
monetary	O
value	O
had	O
drawn	O
hackers	O
to	O
try	O
to	O
access	O
user	O
accounts	O
for	O
financial	O
benefit	O
,	O
and	O
continue	O
to	O
encourage	O
users	O
to	O
secure	O
accounts	O
with	O
Steam	O
Guard	O
,	O
when	O
trading	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
Counter-Strike	B-Application
:	I-Application
Global	I-Application
Offensive	I-Application
gambling	O
controversy	O
,	O
Valve	O
stated	O
it	O
is	O
cracking	O
down	O
on	O
third-party	O
websites	O
using	O
Steam	O
inventory	O
trading	O
for	O
Skin	O
gambling	O
in	O
July	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ReVuln	O
,	O
a	O
commercial	O
vulnerability	O
research	O
firm	O
,	O
published	O
a	O
paper	O
in	O
October	O
2012	O
that	O
said	O
the	O
Steam	O
browser	B-Application
protocol	O
was	O
posing	O
a	O
security	O
risk	O
by	O
enabling	O
malicious	O
exploits	O
through	O
a	O
simple	O
user	O
click	O
on	O
a	O
maliciously	O
crafted	O
steam://	O
URL	O
in	O
a	O
browser	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
the	O
second	O
serious	O
vulnerability	O
of	O
gaming-related	O
software	O
following	O
a	O
recent	O
problem	O
with	O
Ubisoft	O
's	O
own	O
game	O
distribution	O
platform	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2015	O
,	O
Steam	O
's	O
content	B-Operating_System
delivery	I-Operating_System
network	I-Operating_System
was	O
misconfigured	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
a	O
DDoS	O
attack	O
,	O
causing	O
cached	O
store	O
pages	O
containing	O
personal	O
information	O
to	O
be	O
temporarily	O
exposed	O
for	O
34,000	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
established	O
a	O
HackerOne	O
bug	O
bounty	O
program	O
in	O
May	O
2018	O
,	O
a	O
crowdsourced	O
method	O
to	O
test	O
and	O
improve	O
security	O
features	O
of	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
a	O
trading	O
card	O
glitch	O
let	O
players	O
generate	O
Steam	O
Wallet	O
funds	O
from	O
free	O
Steam	O
trading	O
cards	O
with	O
bots	O
using	O
Capcom	B-Application
Arcade	I-Application
Stadium	I-Application
and	O
other	O
games	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
becoming	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
statistically	O
most	O
played	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
add	O
non-Steam	O
games	O
to	O
their	O
libraries	O
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
easily	O
accessed	O
from	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
and	O
providing	O
support	O
where	O
possible	O
for	O
Steam	O
Overlay	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
way	O
,	O
third-party	O
modifications	O
and	O
games	O
not	O
purchased	O
through	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
Store	I-Application
can	O
use	O
Steam	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
sponsors	O
and	O
distributes	O
some	O
modifications	O
free	O
of	O
charge	O
;	O
and	O
modifications	O
that	O
use	O
Steamworks	O
can	O
also	O
use	O
VAC	O
,	O
Friends	O
,	O
the	O
server	O
browser	B-Application
,	O
and	O
any	O
Steam	O
features	O
supported	O
by	O
their	O
parent	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
the	O
overlay	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
can	O
access	O
his	O
or	O
her	O
Steam	O
Community	O
lists	O
and	O
participate	O
in	O
chat	O
,	O
manage	O
selected	O
Steam	O
settings	O
,	O
and	O
access	O
a	O
built-in	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
without	O
having	O
to	O
exit	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
February	O
2011	O
as	O
a	O
beta	O
version	O
,	O
the	O
overlay	O
also	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
take	O
screenshots	B-Application
of	O
the	O
games	O
in	O
process	O
;	O
it	O
automatically	O
stores	O
these	O
and	O
allows	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
review	O
,	O
delete	O
,	O
or	O
share	O
them	O
during	O
or	O
after	O
his	O
or	O
her	O
game	O
session	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
full	O
version	O
on	O
February	O
24	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
this	O
feature	O
was	O
reimplemented	O
so	O
that	O
users	O
could	O
share	O
screenshots	B-Application
on	O
websites	O
of	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
Twitter	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Reddit	B-Application
straight	O
from	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
screenshot	B-Application
manager	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Big	O
Picture	O
mode	O
is	O
a	O
10-foot	B-General_Concept
user	I-General_Concept
interface	I-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
optimizes	O
the	O
Steam	O
display	B-Device
to	O
work	O
on	O
high-definition	O
televisions	O
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
control	O
Steam	O
with	O
a	O
gamepad	O
or	O
with	O
a	O
keyboard	O
and	O
mouse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
,	O
Valve	O
began	O
pushing	O
the	O
new	O
Big	O
Picture	O
mode	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
UI	O
in	O
beta	O
testing	O
in	O
October	O
2022	O
,	O
and	O
full	O
release	O
in	O
February	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
Valve	O
announced	O
Steam	O
for	O
Schools	O
,	O
a	O
free	O
function-limited	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
for	O
schools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
alongside	O
free	O
versions	O
of	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
a	O
standalone	O
program	O
called	O
"	O
Puzzle	O
Maker	O
"	O
that	O
allowed	O
teachers	O
and	O
students	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
manipulate	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
social	O
network	O
service	O
,	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
identify	O
friends	O
and	O
join	O
groups	O
using	O
the	O
Steam	O
Community	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
the	O
Steam	O
Chat	O
feature	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
use	O
text	O
chat	O
and	O
peer-to-peer	O
VoIP	B-Application
with	O
other	O
users	O
,	O
identify	O
which	O
games	O
their	O
friends	O
and	O
other	O
group	O
members	O
are	O
playing	O
,	O
and	O
join	O
and	O
invite	O
friends	O
to	O
Steamworks-based	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
that	O
support	O
this	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
participate	O
in	O
forums	O
hosted	O
by	O
Valve	O
to	O
discuss	O
Steam	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
became	O
an	O
OpenID	O
provider	O
,	O
allowing	O
third-party	O
websites	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
Steam	O
user	O
's	O
identity	O
without	O
requiring	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
expose	O
his	O
or	O
her	O
Steam	O
credentials	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steamworks	O
also	O
provides	O
Valve	B-Application
Anti-Cheat	I-Application
(	O
VAC	O
)	O
,	O
Valve	O
's	O
proprietary	B-Application
anti-cheat	O
system	O
;	O
game	O
servers	O
automatically	O
detect	O
and	O
report	O
users	O
who	O
are	O
using	O
cheats	O
in	O
online	O
,	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
in	O
January	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
allowed	O
players	O
to	O
livestream	O
to	O
Steam	O
friends	O
or	O
the	O
public	O
while	O
playing	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
main	O
event	O
of	O
The	O
International	O
2018	O
Dota	B-Application
2	I-Application
tournament	O
,	O
Valve	O
launched	O
Steam.tv	O
as	O
a	O
major	O
update	O
to	O
Steam	O
Broadcasting	O
,	O
adding	O
Steam	O
chat	O
and	O
Steamworks	O
integration	O
for	O
spectating	O
matches	O
played	O
at	O
the	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
also	O
been	O
used	O
for	O
other	O
events	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
pre-release	O
tournament	O
for	O
the	O
digital	O
card	O
game	O
Artifact	B-Application
and	O
for	O
The	O
Game	O
Awards	O
2018	O
and	O
Steam	O
Awards	O
award	O
shows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2014	O
,	O
Steam	O
Music	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
play	O
through	O
music	O
stored	O
on	O
their	O
computer	O
or	O
to	O
stream	O
from	O
a	O
locally	O
networked	O
computer	O
directly	O
in	O
Steam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
update	O
to	O
the	O
friends	O
and	O
chat	O
system	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
July	O
2018	O
,	O
allowing	O
for	O
non-peer-to-peer	O
chats	O
integrated	O
with	O
voice	O
chat	O
and	O
other	O
features	O
that	O
were	O
compared	O
to	O
Discord	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
standalone	O
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
based	O
on	O
this	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
May	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Updates	O
in	O
2020	O
to	O
Discovery	O
queues	O
have	O
given	O
developers	O
more	O
options	O
for	O
customizing	O
their	O
storefront	O
page	O
and	O
how	O
these	O
pages	O
integration	O
with	O
users	O
 '	O
experiences	O
with	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
offers	O
Steamworks	O
,	O
an	O
application	B-Application
programming	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
API	B-Application
)	O
that	O
provides	O
development	O
and	O
publishing	O
tools	O
to	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
's	O
features	O
,	O
free-of-charge	O
to	O
game	O
and	O
software	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steamworks	O
provides	O
networking	O
and	O
player	O
authentication	O
tools	O
for	O
both	O
server	O
and	O
peer-to-peer	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
,	O
matchmaking	O
services	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
Steam	O
community	O
friends	O
and	O
groups	O
,	O
Steam	O
statistics	O
and	O
achievements	O
,	O
integrated	O
voice	O
communications	O
,	O
and	O
Steam	O
Cloud	O
support	O
,	O
allowing	O
games	O
to	O
integrate	O
with	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
API	B-Application
also	O
provides	O
anti-cheating	O
devices	O
and	O
digital	O
copy	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
after	O
introducing	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Controller	I-Device
and	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
Steam	O
interface	O
to	O
support	O
numerous	O
customization	O
options	O
,	O
the	O
Steamworks	O
API	B-Application
was	O
also	O
updated	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
generic	O
controller	O
library	O
for	O
developers	O
and	O
these	O
customization	O
features	O
for	O
other	O
third-party	O
controllers	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
the	O
DualShock	O
4	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steam	O
's	O
Input	O
API	B-Application
has	O
since	O
been	O
updated	O
to	O
include	O
official	O
support	O
for	O
other	O
console	O
controllers	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
Switch	I-Device
Pro	I-Device
Controller	I-Device
in	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Wireless	I-Device
Controller	I-Device
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X	I-Device
and	I-Device
Series	I-Device
S	I-Device
consoles	B-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
's	O
DualSense	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
compatible	O
controllers	O
from	O
third-party	O
manufacturers	O
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
of	O
software	O
available	O
on	O
Steam	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
track	O
sales	O
of	O
their	O
games	O
through	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
added	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
developers	O
to	O
sell	O
games	O
under	O
an	O
early	O
access	O
model	O
with	O
a	O
special	O
section	O
of	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
store	I-Application
,	O
starting	O
in	O
March	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
early	O
access	O
approach	O
allowed	O
more	O
developers	O
to	O
publish	O
games	O
onto	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
service	I-Application
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
Valve	O
's	O
direct	O
curation	O
of	O
games	O
,	O
significantly	O
increasing	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
available	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Workshop	O
was	O
originally	O
used	O
for	O
distribution	O
of	O
new	O
items	O
for	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
;	O
it	O
was	O
redesigned	O
to	O
extend	O
support	O
for	O
any	O
game	O
in	O
early	O
2012	O
,	O
including	O
modifications	O
for	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
V	I-Application
:	I-Application
Skyrim	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
May	O
2012	O
patch	O
for	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
enabled	O
by	O
a	O
new	O
map-making	O
tool	O
through	O
the	O
Steam	O
Workshop	O
,	O
introduced	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
share	O
user-created	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Independently	O
developed	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
Dungeons	B-Application
of	I-Application
Dredmor	I-Application
,	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
provide	O
Steam	O
Workshop	O
support	O
for	O
user-generated	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dota	B-Application
2	I-Application
became	O
Valve	O
's	O
third	O
published	O
title	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
Steam	O
Workshop	O
in	O
June	O
2012	O
;	O
its	O
features	O
include	O
customizable	O
accessories	O
,	O
character	O
skins	B-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
announcer	O
packs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Workshop	O
content	O
may	O
be	O
monetized	O
;	O
Newell	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
Workshop	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
gold	B-Protocol
farming	I-Protocol
from	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
to	O
find	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
incentive	O
both	O
players	O
and	O
content	O
creators	O
in	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
which	O
had	O
informed	O
them	O
of	O
their	O
approach	O
to	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
their	O
later	O
multiplayer	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
January	O
2015	O
,	O
Valve	O
themselves	O
had	O
provided	O
some	O
user-developed	O
Workshop	O
content	O
as	O
paid-for	O
features	O
in	O
Valve-developed	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Dota	B-Application
2	I-Application
;	O
with	O
over	O
$57	O
million	O
being	O
paid	O
to	O
content	O
creators	O
using	O
the	O
Workshop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
began	O
allowing	O
developers	O
to	O
use	O
these	O
advanced	O
features	O
in	O
January	O
2015	O
;	O
both	O
the	O
developer	O
and	O
content	O
generator	O
share	O
the	O
profits	O
of	O
the	O
sale	O
of	O
these	O
items	O
;	O
the	O
feature	O
went	O
live	O
in	O
April	O
2015	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
various	O
mods	O
for	O
Skyrim	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
was	O
updated	O
with	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
game	O
developers	O
to	O
offer	O
in-game	O
items	O
for	O
direct	O
sale	O
via	O
the	O
store	O
interface	O
,	O
with	O
Rust	B-Application
being	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SteamVR	O
is	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
platform	O
developed	O
by	O
Valve	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
focus	O
on	O
allowing	O
"	O
room-scale	O
"	O
experiences	O
using	O
positional	B-Operating_System
tracking	I-Operating_System
base	O
stations	O
,	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
those	O
requiring	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
stay	O
in	O
a	O
singular	O
location	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SteamVR	O
was	O
first	O
introduced	O
for	O
the	O
Oculus	B-Device
Rift	I-Device
headset	O
in	O
2014	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
expanded	O
to	O
support	O
other	O
virtual	B-Device
reality	I-Device
headsets	I-Device
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
HTC	O
Vive	O
and	O
Valve	B-Device
Index	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
released	O
for	O
support	O
on	O
Windows	O
,	O
macOS	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
Valve	O
dropped	O
macOS	B-Operating_System
support	O
for	O
SteamVR	O
in	O
May	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Up	O
until	O
2012	O
,	O
Valve	O
would	O
handpick	O
games	O
to	O
be	O
included	O
onto	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
service	I-Application
,	O
limiting	O
these	O
to	O
games	O
that	O
either	O
had	O
a	O
major	O
developer	O
supporting	O
them	O
,	O
or	O
smaller	O
studios	O
with	O
proven	O
track	O
records	O
for	O
Valve	O
's	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
Steam	O
development	O
team	O
member	O
Alden	O
Kroll	O
said	O
that	O
Valve	O
knows	O
Steam	O
is	O
in	O
a	O
near-monopoly	O
for	O
game	O
sales	O
on	O
personal	O
computers	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
company	O
does	O
not	O
want	O
to	O
be	O
in	O
a	O
position	O
to	O
determine	O
what	O
gets	O
sold	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
had	O
tried	O
to	O
find	O
ways	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
process	O
of	O
adding	O
games	O
to	O
Steam	O
outside	O
of	O
their	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
would	O
pledge	O
support	O
for	O
these	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
Valve	O
would	O
help	O
to	O
make	O
top-pledged	O
games	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
service	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Smaller	O
developers	O
raised	O
concerns	O
about	O
the	O
Direct	O
fee	O
harming	O
them	O
,	O
and	O
excluding	O
potentially	O
good	O
indie	O
games	O
from	O
reaching	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
second	O
Discovery	O
update	O
was	O
released	O
November	O
2016	O
,	O
giving	O
users	O
more	O
control	O
over	O
what	O
games	O
they	O
want	O
to	O
see	O
or	O
ignore	O
within	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
alongside	O
tools	O
for	O
developers	O
and	O
publishers	O
to	O
better	O
customize	O
and	O
present	O
their	O
game	O
within	O
these	O
new	O
users	O
preferences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
step	O
,	O
which	O
eliminates	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
Steam	O
redemption	O
key	O
,	O
is	O
aimed	O
to	O
reduce	O
the	O
reselling	O
of	O
keys	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
dissuade	O
users	O
that	O
may	O
be	O
trying	O
to	O
game	O
the	O
curator	O
system	O
to	O
obtain	O
free	O
game	B-Application
keys	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
an	O
initial	O
experiment	O
released	O
at	O
launch	O
was	O
the	O
Interactive	O
Recommender	O
,	O
which	O
uses	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
algorithms	O
pulling	O
data	O
from	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
past	O
gameplay	O
history	O
,	O
comparing	O
it	O
to	O
all	O
other	O
users	O
,	O
as	O
to	O
suggest	O
new	O
games	O
that	O
may	O
be	O
of	O
interest	O
to	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
Steam	O
version	O
of	O
From	B-Application
Dust	I-Application
was	O
originally	O
stated	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
single	O
,	O
post-installation	O
online	O
DRM	O
check	O
with	O
its	O
publisher	O
Ubisoft	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
released	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
required	O
a	O
DRM	O
check	O
with	O
Ubisoft	O
's	O
servers	O
each	O
time	O
it	O
was	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
The	B-Application
War	I-Application
Z	I-Application
release	O
,	O
players	O
found	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
still	O
in	O
an	O
alpha-build	O
state	O
and	O
lacked	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
features	O
advertised	O
on	O
its	O
Steam	B-Application
store	I-Application
page	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
stated	O
it	O
would	O
continue	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
improving	O
the	O
discovery	O
process	O
for	O
users	O
,	O
taking	O
principles	O
they	O
learned	O
in	O
providing	O
transparency	O
for	O
matchmaking	O
in	O
Dota	B-Application
2	I-Application
to	O
make	O
the	O
process	O
better	O
,	O
and	O
using	O
that	O
towards	O
Steam	O
storefront	O
procedures	O
to	O
help	O
refine	O
their	O
algorithms	O
with	O
user	O
feedback	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
:	I-Application
Vice	I-Application
City	I-Application
was	O
removed	O
from	O
Steam	O
in	O
2012	O
because	O
of	O
a	O
claim	O
from	O
the	O
Recording	O
Industry	O
Association	O
of	O
America	O
over	O
an	O
expired	O
license	O
for	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
songs	O
on	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
 '	O
(	O
EA	O
)	O
own	O
digital	O
storefront	O
Origin	B-Operating_System
during	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
Valve	O
removed	O
Crysis	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Dragon	B-Application
Age	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Alice	B-Application
:	I-Application
Madness	I-Application
Returns	I-Application
from	O
Steam	O
because	O
the	O
terms	O
of	O
service	O
prevented	O
games	O
from	O
having	O
their	O
own	O
in-game	O
storefront	O
for	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
Crysis	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
a	O
"	O
Maximum	O
Edition	O
"	O
that	O
contained	O
all	O
the	O
available	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
for	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
removed	O
the	O
in-game	O
storefront	O
was	O
re-added	O
to	O
Steam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
Valve	O
removed	O
Orion	O
by	O
Trek	O
Industries	O
when	O
Activision	O
filed	O
a	O
Digital	O
Millennium	O
Copyright	O
Act	O
(	O
DMCA	O
)	O
complaint	O
about	O
the	O
game	O
after	O
it	O
was	O
discovered	O
that	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
artists	O
had	O
taken	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
assets	O
,	O
gun	O
models	O
directly	O
from	O
Call	B-Application
of	I-Application
Duty	I-Application
:	I-Application
Black	I-Application
Ops	I-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
Call	B-Application
of	I-Application
Duty	I-Application
:	I-Application
Advanced	I-Application
Warfare	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
example	O
,	O
Valve	O
's	O
Lombardi	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
Active	B-Application
Shooter	I-Application
,	O
which	O
would	O
have	O
allowed	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
play	O
as	O
either	O
a	O
SWAT	O
team	O
member	O
tasked	O
to	O
take	O
down	O
the	O
shooter	O
at	O
a	O
school	O
shooting	O
incident	O
or	O
as	O
the	O
shooter	O
themselves	O
,	O
was	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
trolling	O
,	O
as	O
he	O
described	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
designed	O
to	O
do	O
nothing	O
but	O
generate	O
outrage	O
and	O
cause	O
conflict	O
through	O
its	O
existence	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Active	B-Application
Shooter	I-Application
had	O
been	O
removed	O
from	O
Steam	O
prior	O
to	O
Valve	O
issuing	O
this	O
policy	O
statement	O
under	O
the	O
reasoning	O
that	O
the	O
development	O
had	O
abused	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
service	I-Application
's	O
terms	O
and	O
conditions	O
,	O
Lombardi	O
asserted	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
have	O
removed	O
the	O
game	O
if	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
offered	O
by	O
any	O
other	O
developer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
day	O
after	O
making	O
this	O
new	O
policy	O
,	O
Valve	O
subsequently	O
removed	O
four	O
yet-released	O
games	O
from	O
the	O
service	O
that	O
appeared	O
to	O
also	O
be	O
created	O
to	O
purposely	O
create	O
outrage	O
,	O
including	O
AIDS	B-Device
Simulator	O
and	O
ISIS	O
Simulator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
algorithms	O
have	O
resulted	O
in	O
select	O
false	O
positives	O
for	O
legitimate	O
games	O
with	O
unusual	O
end-user	O
usage	O
patterns	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Wandersong	B-Application
which	O
was	O
flagged	O
in	O
January	O
2019	O
for	O
what	O
the	O
developer	O
believed	O
was	O
related	O
to	O
a	O
near	O
unanimous	O
positive	O
users	O
reviews	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
cited	O
that	O
these	O
were	O
cheap	O
"	O
fake	O
games	O
"	O
that	O
relied	O
on	O
"	O
asset	O
flipping	O
"	O
with	O
pre-existing	O
Unity	B-Application
game	I-Application
engine	I-Application
assets	O
so	O
that	O
they	O
could	O
be	O
published	O
quickly	O
,	O
and	O
were	O
designed	O
to	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
trading	O
card	O
market	O
to	O
allow	O
players	O
and	O
the	O
developers	O
to	O
profit	O
from	O
the	O
trading	O
card	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
stated	O
that	O
Valve	O
began	O
warning	O
them	O
about	O
removal	O
of	O
games	O
that	O
used	O
cryptocurrencies	O
and	O
non-fungible	O
tokens	O
in	O
October	O
2021	O
,	O
as	O
such	O
items	O
could	O
have	O
real-world	O
value	O
outside	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
or	O
Steam	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
against	O
Valve	O
's	O
acceptable	B-Application
use	I-Application
policy	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Eek	O
Games	O
 '	O
House	B-Application
Party	I-Application
included	O
scenes	O
of	O
nudity	O
and	O
sexual	O
encounters	O
in	O
its	O
original	O
release	O
,	O
which	O
drew	O
criticism	O
from	O
conservative	O
religious	O
organization	O
National	O
Center	O
on	O
Sexual	O
Exploitation	O
,	O
leading	O
Valve	O
to	O
remove	O
the	O
title	O
from	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2018	O
,	O
several	O
developers	O
of	O
anime-stylized	O
games	O
that	O
contained	O
some	O
light	O
nudity	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
HuniePop	B-Application
,	O
were	O
told	O
by	O
Valve	O
they	O
had	O
to	O
address	O
sexual	O
content	O
within	O
their	O
games	O
or	O
face	O
removal	O
from	O
Steam	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
questions	O
of	O
inconsistent	O
application	O
of	O
Valve	O
's	O
policies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steam	O
originally	O
released	O
exclusively	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
in	O
2003	O
,	O
but	O
has	O
since	O
been	O
ported	O
to	O
other	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
recent	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
versions	O
use	O
the	O
Chromium	B-Language
Embedded	I-Language
Framework	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
some	O
of	O
its	O
features	O
for	O
newer	O
interface	O
elements	O
,	O
Steam	O
uses	O
64-bit	B-Device
versions	I-Device
of	O
Chromium	O
,	O
which	O
makes	O
it	O
unsupported	O
on	O
older	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
XP	B-Application
and	O
Vista	B-Application
were	O
dropped	O
in	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
users	O
still	O
on	O
those	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
are	O
able	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
client	O
,	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
newer	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
announced	O
a	O
client	O
for	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
in	O
March	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
announcement	O
was	O
preceded	O
by	O
a	O
change	O
in	O
the	O
Steam	O
beta	O
client	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
cross-platform	O
WebKit	B-Language
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
rendering	O
engine	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
Trident	B-Application
engine	I-Application
of	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
this	O
announcement	O
,	O
Valve	O
teased	O
the	O
release	O
by	O
e-mailing	O
several	O
images	O
to	O
Mac	O
community	O
and	O
gaming	O
websites	O
;	O
the	O
images	O
featured	O
characters	O
from	O
Valve	O
games	O
with	O
Apple	O
logos	O
and	O
parodies	O
of	O
vintage	O
Macintosh	B-Device
advertisements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
developed	O
a	O
full	O
video	O
homage	O
to	O
Apple	O
's	O
1984	O
Macintosh	B-Device
commercial	O
to	O
announce	O
the	O
availability	O
of	O
Half-Life	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
its	O
episodes	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
;	O
some	O
concept	O
images	O
for	O
the	O
video	O
had	O
previously	O
been	O
used	O
to	O
tease	O
the	O
Mac	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steam	O
for	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
was	O
originally	O
planned	O
for	O
release	O
in	O
April	O
2010	O
before	O
being	O
pushed	O
back	O
to	O
May	O
12	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
,	O
several	O
features	O
were	O
made	O
available	O
to	O
developers	O
,	O
allowing	O
them	O
to	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
cross-platform	O
Source	B-Application
engine	I-Application
,	O
and	O
platform	O
and	O
network	O
capabilities	O
using	O
Steamworks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
SteamPlay	O
,	O
the	O
macOS	B-Operating_System
client	O
allows	O
players	O
who	O
have	O
purchased	O
compatible	O
products	O
in	O
the	O
Windows	O
version	O
to	O
download	O
the	O
Mac	O
versions	O
at	O
no	O
cost	O
,	O
allowing	O
them	O
to	O
continue	O
playing	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Steam	O
Cloud	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
many	O
multiplayer	O
PC	O
games	O
,	O
also	O
supports	O
cross-platform	B-Application
play	I-Application
,	O
allowing	O
Windows	O
,	O
macOS	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
users	O
to	O
play	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
regardless	O
of	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2012	O
,	O
Valve	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
developing	O
a	O
client	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
based	O
on	O
the	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
distribution	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
announcement	O
followed	O
months	O
of	O
speculation	O
,	O
primarily	O
from	O
the	O
website	O
Phoronix	O
that	O
had	O
discovered	O
evidence	O
of	O
Linux	B-Application
developing	O
in	O
recent	O
builds	O
of	O
Steam	O
and	O
other	O
Valve	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Newell	O
stated	O
that	O
getting	O
Steam	O
and	O
games	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
Linux	B-Application
is	O
a	O
key	O
strategy	O
for	O
Valve	O
;	O
Newell	O
called	O
the	O
closed	O
nature	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
8	I-Application
"	O
a	O
catastrophe	O
for	O
everyone	O
in	O
the	O
PC	O
space	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
Linux	B-Application
would	O
maintain	O
"	O
the	O
openness	O
of	O
the	O
platform	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
is	O
extending	O
support	O
to	O
any	O
developers	O
that	O
want	O
to	O
bring	O
their	O
games	O
to	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
by	O
"	O
making	O
it	O
as	O
easy	O
as	O
possible	O
for	O
anybody	O
who	O
's	O
engaged	O
with	O
usputting	O
their	O
games	O
on	O
Steam	O
and	O
getting	O
those	O
running	O
on	O
Linux	B-Application
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Newell	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
developing	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
client	O
had	O
been	O
working	O
for	O
a	O
year	O
before	O
the	O
announcement	O
to	O
validate	O
that	O
such	O
a	O
port	O
would	O
be	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
the	O
official	O
announcement	O
,	O
a	O
near-feature-complete	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
for	O
Linux	B-Application
had	O
been	O
developed	O
and	O
successfully	O
run	O
on	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internal	O
beta	O
testing	O
of	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
client	O
started	O
in	O
October	O
2012	O
;	O
external	O
beta	O
testing	O
occurred	O
in	O
early	O
November	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Open	O
beta	O
clients	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
were	O
made	O
available	O
in	O
late	O
December	O
2012	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
client	O
was	O
officially	O
released	O
in	O
mid-February	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
announcement	O
,	O
Valve	O
's	O
Linux	B-Application
division	O
assured	O
that	O
its	O
first	O
game	O
on	O
the	O
OS	O
,	O
Left	B-Application
4	I-Application
Dead	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
would	O
run	O
at	O
an	O
acceptable	O
frame	O
rate	O
and	O
with	O
a	O
degree	O
of	O
connectivity	O
with	O
the	O
Windows	O
and	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
there	O
,	O
it	O
began	O
working	O
on	O
porting	O
other	O
games	O
to	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
and	O
expanding	O
to	O
other	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Application
games	O
are	O
also	O
eligible	O
for	O
SteamPlay	O
availability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Versions	O
of	O
Steam	O
working	O
under	O
Fedora	O
and	O
Red	O
Hat	O
Enterprise	O
Linux	B-Application
were	O
released	O
by	O
October	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
number	O
of	O
Linux-compatible	O
games	O
on	O
Steam	O
increased	O
from	O
over	O
500	O
in	O
June	O
2014	O
,	O
to	O
over	O
1,000	O
by	O
March	O
2015	O
and	O
to	O
over	O
2,000	O
in	O
March	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2019	O
,	O
Steam	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
had	O
5,800	O
native	O
games	O
compared	O
to	O
over	O
30,000	O
including	O
aforementioned	O
and	O
was	O
described	O
as	O
having	O
"	O
the	O
power	O
to	O
keep	O
Linux	B-Application
 [ gaming ] 	O
alive	O
"	O
by	O
Engadget	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2018	O
,	O
Valve	O
released	O
a	O
beta	O
version	O
of	O
Proton	B-Application
,	O
an	O
open-source	O
Windows	O
compatibility	O
layer	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
so	O
that	O
Linux	B-Application
users	O
could	O
run	O
Windows	O
games	O
directly	O
through	O
Steam	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
removing	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
install	O
the	O
Windows	O
version	O
of	O
Steam	O
in	O
Wine	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Proton	B-Application
is	O
composed	O
of	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
open-source	O
tools	O
including	O
Wine	B-Application
and	O
DXVK	O
among	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
in	O
February	O
2022	O
,	O
Valve	O
's	O
handheld	O
computer	O
,	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
,	O
runs	O
SteamOS	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
which	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Arch	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	O
,	O
and	O
uses	O
Proton	B-Application
to	O
support	O
Windows-based	O
games	O
without	O
native	O
Linux	B-Application
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
that	O
end	O
,	O
Valve	O
worked	O
with	O
various	O
middleware	O
developers	O
to	O
make	O
sure	O
their	O
tools	O
were	O
compatible	O
with	O
Proton	B-Application
on	O
Linux	B-Application
and	O
maximize	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
games	O
that	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
-	O
and	O
by	O
extension	O
other	O
Linux-based	O
installations	O
-	O
would	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
included	O
working	O
with	O
various	O
anti-cheat	O
developers	O
such	O
as	O
Easy	O
Anti-Cheat	O
and	O
BattlEye	B-Application
to	O
make	O
sure	O
their	O
solutions	O
worked	O
with	O
Proton	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
help	O
with	O
compatibility	O
,	O
Valve	O
developed	O
a	O
classification	O
system	O
that	O
they	O
will	O
populate	O
to	O
rank	O
any	O
game	O
as	O
to	O
how	O
well	O
it	O
works	O
as	O
a	O
Linux	B-Application
native	O
solution	O
or	O
through	O
Proton	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
Nvidia	O
's	O
proprietary	B-Application
deep	B-Device
learning	I-Device
super	I-Device
sampling	I-Device
(	O
DLSS	B-Device
)	O
on	O
supported	O
video	O
cards	O
and	O
games	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
Proton	B-Application
in	O
June	O
2021	O
,	O
though	O
this	O
is	O
not	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
which	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
AMD	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
E3	O
2010	O
,	O
Newell	O
announced	O
that	O
Steamworks	O
would	O
arrive	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
with	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
would	O
provide	O
automatic	O
updates	O
,	O
community	O
support	O
,	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
and	O
other	O
unannounced	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steamworks	O
made	O
its	O
debut	O
on	O
consoles	B-Device
with	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
featuresincluding	O
cross-platform	B-Application
play	I-Application
and	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
,	O
Steam	O
Cloud	O
for	O
saved	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
for	O
PS3	B-Operating_System
owners	O
to	O
download	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
from	O
Steam	O
(	O
Windows	O
and	O
Mac	O
)	O
at	O
no	O
extra	O
costwere	O
offered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
's	O
Counter-Strike	B-Application
:	I-Application
Global	I-Application
Offensive	I-Application
also	O
supports	O
Steamworks	O
and	O
cross-platform	O
features	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
including	O
using	O
keyboard	O
and	O
mouse	O
controls	O
as	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
the	O
gamepad	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
said	O
it	O
"hope[s]	O
to	O
expand	O
upon	O
this	O
foundation	O
with	O
more	O
Steam	O
features	O
and	O
functionality	O
in	O
DLC	B-Protocol
and	O
future	O
content	O
releases	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Xbox	B-Device
360	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
support	O
for	O
Steamworks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Newell	O
said	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
have	O
liked	O
to	O
bring	O
the	O
service	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
through	O
the	O
game	O
Counter-Strike	B-Application
:	I-Application
Global	I-Application
Offensive	I-Application
,	O
which	O
would	O
have	O
allowed	O
Valve	O
to	O
provide	O
the	O
same	O
feature	O
set	O
that	O
it	O
did	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
later	O
said	O
that	O
cross-platform	B-Application
play	I-Application
would	O
not	O
be	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
final	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
attributes	O
the	O
inability	O
to	O
use	O
Steamworks	O
on	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
360	O
to	O
limitations	O
in	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	O
regulations	O
of	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
deliver	O
patches	O
and	O
new	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
released	O
an	O
official	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
for	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
in	O
late	O
January	O
2012	O
,	O
following	O
a	O
short	O
beta	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
mobile	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
for	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
devices	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
June	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
14	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
a	O
"	O
Steam	O
Link	O
"	O
app	O
with	O
remote	O
play	O
features	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
beta	O
to	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
stream	O
games	O
to	O
Android	B-Application
phones	I-Application
,	O
named	O
after	O
discontinued	O
set-top	O
box	O
Steam	O
Link	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
submitted	O
to	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
but	O
was	O
denied	O
by	O
Apple	O
Inc.	O
,	O
who	O
cited	O
"	O
business	O
conflicts	O
with	O
app	O
guidelines	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
later	O
clarified	O
its	O
rule	O
at	O
the	O
following	O
Apple	O
Worldwide	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
in	O
early	O
June	O
,	O
in	O
that	O
iOS	B-Application
apps	I-Application
may	O
not	O
offer	O
an	O
app-like	O
purchasing	O
store	O
,	O
but	O
does	O
not	O
restrict	O
apps	O
that	O
provide	O
remote	B-Protocol
desktop	I-Protocol
support	I-Protocol
that	O
would	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
purchase	O
content	O
through	O
the	O
remote	B-Protocol
desktop	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
computers	O
were	O
pre-emptively	O
dubbed	O
as	O
"	O
Steam	B-Device
Boxes	I-Device
"	O
by	O
the	O
gaming	O
community	O
and	O
expected	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
dedicated	O
machine	O
focused	O
upon	O
Steam	O
functionality	O
and	O
maintaining	O
the	O
core	B-Device
functionality	O
of	O
a	O
traditional	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2013	O
,	O
Valve	O
unveiled	O
SteamOS	B-Application
,	O
a	O
custom	O
Linux-based	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
they	O
had	O
developed	O
specifically	O
aimed	O
for	O
running	O
Steam	O
and	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
final	O
concept	O
of	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Machine	I-Device
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
other	O
consoles	B-Device
,	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Machine	I-Device
does	O
not	O
have	O
set	O
hardware	O
;	O
its	O
technology	O
is	O
implemented	O
at	O
the	O
discretion	O
of	O
the	O
manufacturer	O
and	O
is	O
fully	O
customizable	O
,	O
much	O
like	O
a	O
personal	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2018	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Machines	I-Device
were	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
storefront	O
due	O
to	O
low	O
sales	O
and	O
small	O
user	O
traffic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2015	O
,	O
Valve	O
released	O
the	O
set-top	O
box	O
Steam	O
Link	O
and	O
Steam	B-Device
Controller	I-Device
(	O
which	O
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
2019	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
2018	O
,	O
but	O
now	O
"	O
Steam	O
Link	O
"	O
refers	O
to	O
the	O
Remote	O
Play	O
mobile	B-Application
app	I-Application
that	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
stream	O
content	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
games	O
,	O
from	O
a	O
PC	O
to	O
a	O
mobile	O
device	O
over	O
a	O
network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
released	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
,	O
a	O
handheld	O
gaming	O
computer	O
running	O
an	O
updated	O
version	O
of	O
SteamOS	B-Application
,	O
with	O
initial	O
shipments	O
starting	O
on	O
February	O
25	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Deck	O
is	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
play	O
of	O
Steam	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
but	O
can	O
be	O
placed	O
into	O
a	O
separate	O
dock	O
,	O
purchased	O
separately	O
,	O
that	O
allows	O
the	O
Deck	O
to	O
output	O
to	O
an	O
external	O
display	B-Device
and	O
use	O
the	O
dock	O
's	O
power	O
,	O
networking	O
,	O
and	O
connected	O
USB	B-Protocol
accessories	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
updates	O
to	O
Steam	O
and	O
SteamOS	B-Application
included	O
better	O
Proton	B-Application
layer	O
support	O
for	O
Windows-based	O
games	O
,	O
improved	O
user	O
interface	O
features	O
in	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
display	B-Device
,	O
and	O
adding	O
Dynamic	O
Cloud	O
Saves	O
to	O
Steam	O
to	O
allow	O
synchronizing	O
saved	O
games	O
while	O
a	O
game	O
is	O
being	O
played	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
began	O
marking	O
all	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
through	O
a	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
Validated	O
program	O
to	O
indicate	O
how	O
compatible	O
they	O
were	O
with	O
the	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2022	O
,	O
Google	O
offered	O
a	O
prerelease	O
version	O
of	O
Steam	O
on	O
Chromebooks	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
entered	O
public	O
beta	O
in	O
November	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
included	O
beta	O
support	O
for	O
Steam	O
Cloud	O
Play	O
in	O
May	O
2020	O
for	O
developers	O
to	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
play	O
games	O
in	O
their	O
library	O
which	O
developers	O
and	O
publishers	O
have	O
opted	O
to	O
allow	O
in	O
a	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
service	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
launch	O
,	O
Steam	O
Cloud	O
Play	O
only	O
worked	O
through	O
Nvidia	O
's	O
GeForce	B-Application
Now	O
service	O
and	O
would	O
link	O
up	O
to	O
other	O
cloud	O
services	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
though	O
whether	O
Valve	O
would	O
run	O
its	O
own	O
cloud	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
service	I-Application
was	O
unclear	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
November	O
2017	O
,	O
more	O
than	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
Steam	O
userbase	O
was	O
fluent	O
in	O
Chinese	O
,	O
an	O
effect	O
created	O
by	O
the	O
large	O
popularity	O
of	O
Dota	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
PlayerUnknown	B-Application
's	I-Application
Battlegrounds	I-Application
in	O
the	O
country	O
,	O
and	O
several	O
developers	O
have	O
reported	O
that	O
Chinese	O
players	O
make	O
up	O
close	O
to	O
30%	O
of	O
the	O
total	O
players	O
for	O
their	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Perfect	O
World	O
has	O
worked	O
with	O
Valve	O
before	O
to	O
help	O
bring	O
Dota	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Counter-Strike	B-Application
:	I-Application
Global	I-Application
Offensive	I-Application
to	O
the	O
country	O
through	O
approved	O
government	O
processes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
also	O
considers	O
the	O
concurrent	B-License
user	I-License
count	O
a	O
key	O
indicator	O
of	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
platform	O
,	O
reflecting	O
how	O
many	O
accounts	O
were	O
logged	O
into	O
Steam	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
figure	O
was	O
broken	O
again	O
in	O
January	O
2021	O
with	O
over	O
25	O
million	O
users	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
highly	O
anticipated	O
game	O
Cyberpunk	B-Application
2077	I-Application
,	O
itself	O
the	O
first	O
single-player	O
game	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
to	O
have	O
over	O
a	O
million	O
concurrent	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steam	O
has	O
grown	O
from	O
seven	O
games	O
in	O
2004	O
to	O
over	O
30,000	O
by	O
2019	O
,	O
with	O
additional	O
non-gaming	O
products	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
creation	O
software	O
,	O
DLC	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
videos	O
,	O
numbering	O
over	O
20,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
growth	O
of	O
games	O
on	O
Steam	O
is	O
attributed	O
to	O
changes	O
in	O
Valve	O
's	O
curation	O
approach	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
publishers	O
to	O
add	O
games	O
without	O
having	O
Valve	O
's	O
direct	O
involvement	O
enabled	O
by	O
the	O
Greenlight	O
and	O
early	O
access	O
models	O
,	O
and	O
games	O
supporting	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
months	O
later	O
,	O
another	O
method	O
had	O
been	O
developed	O
using	O
game	O
achievements	O
to	O
estimate	O
sales	O
with	O
similar	O
accuracy	O
,	O
but	O
Valve	O
shortly	O
changed	O
the	O
Steam	O
API	B-Application
that	O
reduced	O
the	O
functionality	O
of	O
this	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2011	O
,	O
CD	O
Projekt	O
,	O
the	O
developer	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Witcher	I-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
of	I-Application
Kings	I-Application
,	O
revealed	O
that	O
Steam	O
was	O
responsible	O
for	O
200,000	O
(	O
80%	O
)	O
of	O
the	O
250,000	O
online	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steam	O
's	O
success	O
has	O
led	O
to	O
some	O
criticism	O
because	O
of	O
its	O
support	O
of	O
DRM	O
and	O
for	O
being	O
an	O
effective	O
monopoly	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
Free	B-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
founder	O
Richard	O
Stallman	O
called	O
DRM	O
using	O
Steam	O
on	O
Linux	B-Application
is	O
"	O
unethical	O
"	O
,	O
but	O
still	O
better	O
than	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Johnson	O
stated	O
the	O
company	O
plans	O
to	O
better	O
integrate	O
customer	O
support	O
features	O
into	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
and	O
be	O
more	O
responsive	O
to	O
such	O
problems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Competitors	O
emerged	O
with	O
Games	B-Application
for	I-Application
Windows	I-Application
–	I-Application
Live	I-Application
in	O
2008	O
and	O
Impulse	B-Application
in	O
2009	O
,	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
were	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
2013	O
and	O
2014	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
and	O
2013	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
increase	O
in	O
retail	O
copies	O
of	O
major	O
game	O
publishers	O
integrating	O
or	O
requiring	O
Steam	O
,	O
retailers	O
and	O
journalists	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
service	O
as	O
a	O
monopoly	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stardock	O
,	O
developer	O
of	O
competing	O
platform	O
Impulse	B-Application
,	O
estimated	O
that	O
as	O
of	O
2009	O
,	O
Steam	O
had	O
a	O
70%	O
share	O
of	O
the	O
digital	O
distribution	O
market	O
for	O
video	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Epic	O
Games	O
 '	O
Tim	O
Sweeney	O
postulated	O
that	O
Valve	O
could	O
reduce	O
its	O
cut	O
to	O
8%	O
,	O
given	O
that	O
content	B-Operating_System
delivery	I-Operating_System
network	I-Operating_System
costs	O
has	O
dropped	O
significantly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
following	O
an	O
announcement	O
from	O
Valve	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
reduce	O
their	O
cut	O
on	O
games	O
selling	O
over	O
,	O
Epic	O
launched	O
its	O
Epic	O
Games	O
Store	O
in	O
December	O
2018	O
,	O
promoting	O
that	O
Epic	O
would	O
take	O
only	O
a	O
12%	O
cut	O
of	O
revenue	O
for	O
games	O
sold	O
through	O
it	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
not	O
charging	O
the	O
normal	O
5%	O
revenue	O
cut	O
for	O
games	O
that	O
use	O
the	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
chat	B-Application
application	I-Application
Discord	B-Application
followed	O
suit	O
a	O
few	O
days	O
later	O
,	O
promoting	O
only	O
a	O
10%	O
cut	O
on	O
games	O
sold	O
through	O
its	O
store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2009	O
,	O
online	O
retailers	O
Impulse	B-Application
,	O
Direct2Drive	O
and	O
GamersGate	O
refused	O
to	O
offer	O
Call	B-Application
of	I-Application
Duty	I-Application
:	I-Application
Modern	I-Application
Warfare	I-Application
2	I-Application
because	O
it	O
includes	O
mandatory	O
installation	O
of	O
Steamworks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2009	O
,	O
Doug	O
Lombardi	O
said	O
Steam	O
free	O
weekends	O
for	O
Left	B-Application
4	I-Application
Dead	I-Application
on	O
Steam	O
had	O
boosted	O
sales	O
at	O
retail	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
360	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
's	O
business	O
development	O
director	O
Jason	O
Holtman	O
replied	O
Steamworks	O
 '	O
features	O
were	O
chosen	O
by	O
developers	O
and	O
based	O
on	O
consumer	O
wants	O
and	O
that	O
Modern	B-Application
Warfare	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
Steam	O
's	O
"	O
greatest	O
sellers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2011	O
,	O
Football	B-Application
Manager	I-Application
2012	I-Application
developer	O
Sports	O
Interactive	O
said	O
the	O
Steam	O
requirement	O
was	O
a	O
success	O
because	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
not	O
cracked	O
for	O
10	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
European	O
Commission	O
began	O
investigating	O
Valve	O
and	O
five	O
other	O
publishers	O
—	O
Bandai	O
Namco	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
Capcom	O
,	O
Focus	O
Home	O
Interactive	O
,	O
Koch	O
Media	O
and	O
ZeniMax	O
Media	O
—	O
for	O
anti-competitive	O
practices	O
,	O
specifically	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
geo-blocking	O
through	O
the	O
Steam	O
storefront	O
and	O
Steam	O
product	B-Application
keys	I-Application
to	O
prevent	O
access	O
to	O
software	O
to	O
citizens	O
of	O
certain	O
countries	O
within	O
the	O
European	O
Economic	O
Area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
French	O
gaming	O
trade	O
group	O
,	O
Syndicat	O
National	O
du	O
Jeu	O
Vidéo	O
,	O
noted	O
that	O
geo-blocking	O
was	O
a	O
necessary	O
feature	O
to	O
hinder	O
inappropriate	O
product	B-Application
key	I-Application
reselling	O
,	O
where	O
a	O
group	O
buys	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
keys	O
in	O
regions	O
where	O
the	O
cost	O
is	O
low	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
resells	O
them	O
into	O
regions	O
of	O
much	O
higher	O
value	O
to	O
profit	O
on	O
the	O
difference	O
,	O
outside	O
of	O
European	O
oversight	O
and	O
tax	O
laws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
separate	O
class-action	O
lawsuit	O
filed	O
against	O
Valve	O
by	O
Wolfire	O
Games	O
in	O
April	O
2021	O
asserted	O
that	O
Steam	O
is	O
essentially	O
a	O
monopoly	B-Application
because	O
,	O
if	O
developers	O
want	O
to	O
sell	O
games	O
to	O
personal	O
computer	O
users	O
,	O
they	O
must	O
sell	O
through	O
Steam	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
its	O
30%	O
cut	O
and	O
its	O
"	O
most	O
favored	O
nation	O
"	O
pricing	O
practices	O
violate	O
antitrust	O
laws	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
their	O
position	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wolfire	O
's	O
suit	O
was	O
dismissed	O
by	O
the	O
presiding	O
judge	O
in	O
November	O
2021	O
after	O
determining	O
that	O
Wolfire	O
had	O
failed	O
to	O
show	O
that	O
Valve	O
had	O
a	O
monopoly	B-Application
on	O
game	O
sales	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
30%	O
cut	O
is	O
consistent	O
,	O
if	O
not	O
higher	O
,	O
than	O
other	O
vendors	O
.	O
</s>
