Valve is a major player in the gaming industry, with its Steam platform favored by many gamers. While many large game companies have offered game subscription services to customers, Valve has yet to make moves in this space. Since the release of the Steam Deck this week, there have been renewed questions about whether Valve will create a subscription service to complement the gaming handheld. Now, the company has quashed rumors that it plans on releasing its own game subscription service for Steam.

Valve CEO Gabe Newell was pushed on the issue of gaming subscription services in an interview with PC Gamer’s Wes Fenlon, asked whether Valve had any plans to build its own subscription service into Steam. Newell denied this was the case, stating that he didn’t believe it was something the company needed to do itself. However, he had more promising thoughts about the Xbox Game Pass.

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Last April, there were rumors about Valve putting the Xbox Game Pass on Steam. Newell hasn’t discounted the possibility of bringing Microsoft’s Game Pass to Steam, describing the subscription service as a “popular option” for gamers, and stating that Valve would be “more than happy” to work with Microsoft to bring Game Pass games to the Steam platform.

"I don't think it's something that we think we need to do ourselves, building a subscription service at this time," Newell said. "But for their customers it's clearly a popular option, and we'd be more than happy to work with them to get that on Steam."

Microsoft has seen success with its Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass subscription services, which give gamers access to a huge catalog of games for a monthly payment, with different subscription tiers available. Microsoft’s Game Pass is arguably one of the most successful gaming subscription services available, though it competes in a sea of many options. Other popular options include the Humble Bundle and EA Play, to name a couple. Perhaps this is why Valve sees little incentive to develop its own subscription service in the meantime.

Evidently, Valve hasn’t confirmed plans to bring Game Pass to Steam, but Newell’s comments show that the company is open to such ideas. Now that Valve’s highly anticipated Steam Deck has been released, the idea seems more realistic, as many games built for Xbox could work nicely with the Steam Deck’s controllers. Further, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has praised the Steam Deck, noting its comfortable feel and ability to run games like Halo well. The potential is clearly there.

Spencer has previously expressed a desire to see xCloud and Game Pass brought to other platforms and consoles. Indeed, in August, Spencer claimed he had tested xCloud on the Steam Deck. If Valve and Microsoft decide to seriously move forward with this idea, it could be great news for Steam Deck users and gamers in general.

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Source: PC Gamer