If for some reason you never got in on the Team Fortress 2 action back in 2007, or any of the subsequent years after that, Valve has decided to graciously bestow the team-based competitive shooter upon you - for the very competitive price of absolutely free.

There have been hints and rumors that Valve was planning to revamp their business strategy, and this might be the first of a new era in Steam gaming.

Yesterday also signaled the release of Team Fortress 2's biggest update in its history, the Uber Update, adding new content packs for several of the classes within the game. The original announced plan was that TF2 would be free for a week, giving whomever had not played the ever-populated shooter yet another chance to try the game out. On Day 4 of the update, the free week has now officially extended to forever.

The team has released a small teaser trailer to hype up the amount of time we will be able to play Team Fortress 2 now that it is free. (Hint: "for freekin' ever"):

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ8duKs2Plw

This evolution began when the TF2 team first introduced paid items for the game. The hats, guns, and other gizmos that can be unlocked by playing the title and accomplishing certain tasks can also be bought on the game's online store. This paid item shop fell under some scrutiny at first, but allowing the community to participate in the game by creating items for the shop was just too cool an addition to make anyone too angry.

It has been less than a year since that update, and the shop has gone through some significant bolstering. In fact, the dollars Valve has collected from item purchasing players directly correlates with this free-to-play surprise. Valve will now be continuing support for the game solely through the profits of the item shop, leaving the game entirely free for players who are not interested in the shop.

The best part of the update though? Why, the Meet the Medic video, of course:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36lSzUMBJnc

You can head over to TeamFortress.com or jump on Steam right now to download Team Fortress 2 for free. No time limits, no subscriptions - just free multiplayer mayhem for anyone with access to an internet connection.

Now that Team Fortress 2 is free, how many of you will be jumping into the game for the first time? If you have already purchased the game, is the surge of new players a good enough incentive to get back into Team Fortress 2? Let us know in the comments below.