Game Pass is currently one of the The best deals on games. For $15 a month, you get access to a rotating roster of hundreds of games, from small indies like unpacking to big blockbusters like Halo: Infinite. You can play them on Xbox or PC, or stream them anywhere else. Valve CEO Gabe Newell now says he wouldn’t mind it coming to Steam.
Newell was invited in a new interview by PC gamer whether Valve plans to release its own competing subscription service. Maybe even call it something like Steam Pass. The former Microsoft employee said no.
“I don’t think we think we need to do that ourselves now to build a subscription service,” Newell said. “But it’s clearly a popular option for their customers, and we’d love to work with them to get that on Steam.”
While it doesn’t sound like there are currently any plans to release Game Pass on Steam, both companies have “spoke quite a bit on the subject.” “If your customers want it, you should figure out how to make it happen,” Newell said PC gamer. “That’s our turn.”
Microsoft has made it clear that one of its big goals is to get as many people as possible to sign up for Game Pass. It’s an ongoing acquisition spree, including Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, is a big part of it. Game Pass availability in competing storefronts might be different.
While the company used to hide PC versions of its games behind the Microsoft Store, it has recently brought them to Steam on a daily basis. It has turned out to be a great boon for live service games Sea of Thieves who see their player count explode after becoming available on Valve’s storefront.
The newly launched portable console Steam Deck is technically already Game Pass-enabled. Although Microsoft’s subscription service doesn’t support the device’s native Linux-based SteamOS, the Steam Deck can, at least in theory Dual boot Windows 10allowing prospective owners to switch between Steam and PC Game Pass.
Of course, revenue sharing is a major impediment to actual Game Pass on Steam. Microsoft gets 100% of what subscribers pay for when they use it through the Xbox Launcher, while Valve traditionally gets a 30% cut of anything sold through Steam. as The edge mention, thatThis is likely why only the basic tier of EA’s subscription service is available on Steam, while EA Play Pro remains exclusive to its Origin launcher.
Still, it’s surprising that Valve seems so open to solving such issues at all. The Game Pass value proposition, backed by Microsoft’s deep pockets and increasing leverage in the gaming industry, has the potential to completely disrupt marketplaces like the PlayStation Store and Nintendo eShop, if it were ever allowed on those competing platforms. Valve doesn’t seem to see it that way.