Steam to host SOE titles

Valve has announced it has signed a deal with Sony Online Entertainment that will see a number of its titles find their way onto the Steam PC digital distribution platform.

The games initially available include Everquest and Everquest II, plus expansions, as well as Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and Pirates of the Burning Sea, and each will offer introductory prices for the first ten days of availability.

"Sony Online Entertainment propelled the MMO genre and PC gaming into new era with the launch of EverQuest," commented Jason Holtman, director of business development at Valve. "SOE continues to evolve the genre and PC gaming with new universes such as Vanguard and Pirates of the Burning Sea, while continuously expanding the EverQuest and EverQuest II worlds with over 20 total expansions delivered electronically since the first EQ was released in March 1999."

And SOE president, John Smedley, added: "We are always looking for additional ways to introduce our great catalogue of games to new audiences. It's hard to think of a larger group of PC gamers interested in multiplayer games than those connecting to Steam. We've long been a leader in MMOs and this agreement will help bring our exciting content to millions of additional online gamers around the world."

Valve's online platform has significantly ramped up the number of third party deals it has signed in the past 18 months to build up a compelling collection of PC titles.

The GamesIndustry.biz interview with John Smedley from last year is also available to read.