Valve’s Steam Deck is coming out in February 2022, having been delayed from its previous Winter release period. It’s to be expected, especially given the demand for the portable PC. But could its popularity ever reach a point where Valve would consider releasing titles exclusively for the platform?
While it didn’t address such a hypothetical situation, it has outright denied any exclusives. In a recent FAQ from the Steamworks Steam Deck event, which consists of questions from various studios and publishers, Valve was asked about its interest in exclusive titles. “No, that doesn’t make much sense to us. It’s a PC and it should just play games like a PC.”
Which seems obvious but it’s easy to see why this should be clarified. Steam is extremely popular and with Valve’s insistence on testing its entire library for the Steam Deck, it could create an interesting new market for digital storefronts. Besides, there are several titles owned by other platforms – like Ubisoft Connect and the Epic Games Store – that won’t run on the Steam Deck.
It wouldn’t be strange for Valve to capitalize and offer even more incentive outside of Steam’s huge catalogue for owning a Steam Deck. However, for the time being, that won’t be the case. Stay tuned for more details on the portable PC in the coming months.
