Valve is reportedly about to make a move on Google Stadia with a streaming service called Steam Cloud Gaming. The info was unearthed by Steam Database in a series of files that clearly reveal Valve’s plans.
For now, this is nothing more than a rumor and should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, it isn’t uncommon to find some code leftovers in unsuspecting files, possibly related to projects that ended up not getting the go-ahead or were canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.
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Looking at the files, you’ll find the following message: “You must agree to the terms in the Steam Cloud Gaming Addendum before continuing.” This means that Steam partners must sign the addendum in order to continue using the platform to sell their games and apps. As the partners successfully sign the addendum, they are greeted with this message: “Thank you for signing the latest Steam Cloud Gaming Addendum. Click OK to continue.”
On the other hand, if someone without the necessary privileges tries to sign the addendum, the outcome is this failure message: “You must have Actual Authority on your partner account to sign this agreement.”
Right now, we’re inclined to believe that Valve’s Steam Cloud Gaming is indeed planned and in active development. Gabe Newell’s company isn’t afraid of exploring new avenues, even if it means going face-to-face with other industry giants such as Google. It seems like a no-brainer, because Valve already has the server infrastructure to provide a reliable streaming service, and it surely doesn’t lack the expertise for everything else that such a business involves.
Google Stadia is about to launch this month in selected countries, with more coming down the line. Valve must double-down on its Steam Cloud Gaming service if it wants to quickly offer an alternative to Stadia, bolstered by the significant strength of its Steam catalog and partners.
Valve is working on "Steam Cloud Gaming" according to partner site code update. Partners will need to sign an addendum to their terms.
Could this be a competitor to @GoogleStadia?https://t.co/7AQ9YxCol8
— SteamDB (@SteamDB) November 6, 2019