With Google and Nvidia both pushing out their own cloud-based gaming solutions, with Stadia and GeForce Now respectively, Valve needs to come out of the gate storming. There have long been critiques about the way Steam handles new releases. Developers and gamers alike hate the sheer volume of garbage on the platform. And now, it looks like Steam could be taking more direct aim at the competition in a new way. Steam Cloud Gaming could be that shot across the bow.
The discovery comes via data miner Pavel Djundik on Twitter. The same developer behind SteamDB, who has been uncovering a lot of plans for Valve as of late. The new reveals reference both Steam Cloud Gaming, and “GetCloudGameTimeRemaining”, which suggest some kind of priority access or timed system for managing server load.
The reveal comes in the form of a couple of code snippets, which reference parts of Steam Cloud Gaming. Judging from these snippets, it looks like Valve will take a similar approach to Nvidia. The goal will be to offer games via a cloud-based computing cluster that will allow gamers to stream gameplay running on Steam-controlled servers. This will likely work on some kind of queue system where users can pay for premium access. There could be some free tier as well, with users getting limited sessions per month.
Steam Cloud Gaming also makes references to the Nvidia Cloud services. Maybe Steam is about to debut its cloud gaming service as an addon for GeForce Now via more direct compatibility. Whatever Valve does, it’s sure to be interesting to put it lightly.
Considering the company’s status and influence within the realm of PC gaming, it’s a no-brainer for them to leverage that. Cloud gaming is also seeing a ton of interest and growth.
So it makes a lot of sense that Valve would also want to hop into the space. After all, a lot of people want to centralize their gaming experience. And Valve being the undisputed king of digital PC game distribution right now puts them in a very unique position. So with the prospect of Steam Cloud Gaming, there’s some real potential for growth.