Steam Expanding To Offer Non-Game Software Later This Year

Well, this is quite interesting: soon you'll be able to use Steam for more than just playing games. Valve announced today that it will begin offering non-game software titles through Steam starting in September, so before long you'll be able to access your other software from within Steam as well. Valve's announcement was pretty vague, meaning we don't know what kind of software will be available at launch, but the prospect is exciting nonetheless.

Even more exciting is the fact that you'll be able to get all the benefits of Steam while using this software. Valve promises features such as easy installations, automatic updating, and access to Steam Cloud. Handy features to have, no doubt, but we have a feeling that the big winner here is going to be Steam Cloud integration, as it will allow users to access their files from Steam anywhere.

The initial roll out of these "software titles" will begin on September 5. After that, Valve says that it will continue to offer new software on a consistent basis. We don't have any idea which particular programs will be there at the start, but Valve claims that it will include everything from "creativity to productivity" software. Additionally, a leak from last month shows the Steam mobile app with categories for audio production, photo editing, and educational software (among others), so that kind of gives us an idea of what we'll be working with.

So, there you go. Just like that, Steam has become a program that offers a wide variety of software and is no longer limited to just games. If you have a program you'd like to see on Steam, you'll be able to submit it through Steam Greenlight for community approval. Stay tuned folks, because this is a pretty major announcement that means big things for everyone's favorite digital distribution platform.