Tag: Valve Software

The Steam Autumn Sale is now live

Halo, Witcher, New World and loads more games are very cheap right now.

The annual Steam Autumn sale is live just in time for Black Friday.

Over a thousand games on Steam are seeing massive discounts from Wednesday until Dec. 1 at 10 A.M. PDT / 1 P.M. EDT. Not just older titles, either, but games that came out only a few months ago.

Special discounts include:

  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order  for $14.79 (63% off)
  • Halo: The Master Chief Collection  for $19.99 (50% off)
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt  for $7.99 (80% off)
  • Tales of Arise  for $44.99 (25% off)
  • Half-life: ALYX  for $29.99 (50% off)
  • Cyberpunk 2077  for $29.99 (50% off)
  • Ghostrunner  for $11.99 (60% off)
  • Back 4 Blood  for $41.99 (30% off)
  • Gears 5  for $9.99 (75% off)
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn  for $24.99 (50% off)
  • Star Wars: Squadrons  for $14.79 (63% off)
  • Detroit: Become Human  for $19.99 (50% off)
  • New World  for $29.99 (25% off)
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider  for $5.99 (80% off)
  • Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy  for $38.99 (35% off)

There are countless other games on sale, too, so head over to  Steam  and start blowing your savings on video games! I mean, what else are you going to do this holiday, spend time with family? Perish the thought!

Now that the  Steam Deck got hit with a delay until February, holiday sales are all Valve Software likely has left up its sleeves this year. Hopefully, none of them set fire in the meantime. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Valve delays the Steam Deck

The Steam deck isn’t coming out this year anymore.

The Steam Deck has been delayed by two months, now coming out in early 2022.

Valve Software let people that pre-ordered the device know that it won’t be coming out in December anymore because of supply chain issues — who could’ve ever guessed!

“We’re sorry about this, we did our best to work around the global supply chain issues,” Valve said on Steam’s website. “due to material shortages, components aren’t reaching our manufacturing facilities in time for us to meet our initial launch dates.”

Valve estimated that the Steam Deck will begin shipping in February of next year, though no hard release date is available at this time.

[developing story, check back for updates]

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Na’Vi crowned champions at record-breaking ‘Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’ tournament

The world watched as S1mple took home his first Major win.

Na’Vi won the 2021 PGL Major Stockholm Championships in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive  on Sunday.

After competing in 15 Majors over the past several years only to come up every time, team Na’Vi finally came out on top at a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive  Major. Not only did Na’Vi take home $1 million in winnings, they set were part of what might go down in history as one of the biggest esports tournaments to date. The 2021 PGL Major Stockholm finals reached a staggering new peak concurrent viewer number for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive  at 2.7 million, Esports Charts  reported Sunday.

Check out the live audience reaction to Na’Vi taking home the gold for yourself below.

Arguably the biggest reason for the staggering viewer numbers is due to Na’Vi’s own Aleksandr ‘S1mple’ Kostyliev winning his first Major. Kostyliev is widely known as the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive  pro despite never winning a championship of this caliber. Well, no longer! Kostyliev even came out as MVP of the tournament, HLTV  reported Sunday. That’s quite an achievement, especially considering Na’Vi went undefeated the 2021 PGL Major Stockholm championships.

Kostyliev recently made headlines with S1mple Formula, a documentary about his life and rise to esports fame. Many are speculating that he will jump over to Valorant  in the coming months.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Vladimir Putin praises ‘DOTA 2’ International champions

The President of Russia congratulates Team Spirit for winning it all in DOTA 2.

Vladimir Putin, the current President of Russia, just congratulated Moscow-based Team Spirit for winning DOTA 2’s  2021 International tournament.

Over on the Kremlin’s website, Putin had nothing but kind things to say about Team Spirit taking home a cool $18 Million — the biggest prize pot in esports history. 

“Congratulations on your well-deserved victory at The International 2021 – the DOTA 2 World Championship,” Putin  said. “For the first time in history, the Russian team of the Team Spirit won these prestigious competitions. Well done!”

It would seem that Putin may have actually watched The International 2021, too, as he added some specificity to the statement.

“On the way to the final, you demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities and solidarity,” Putin said. “In the decisive duel, which became a real test of skill and character, you managed to concentrate and seize the initiative from strong opponents at the most crucial moment. They have proven in practice that our esportsmen are always goal-oriented and capable of conquering any peaks.”

It’s certainly not every day that a world leader comments on esports, but given how huge The International 2021 was, it’s not surprising either. Valve recently caught flack for canceling ticket sales for the event shortly before competitions were to take place. Though it would seem that did not hinder mainstream attention at all.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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CEO of Epic Games welcomes blockchain games after Valve removes them from Steam

Epic does what Ninten, er, Valve don’t?

Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, stated that games utilizing blockchain tech are welcome on The Epic Games store, The Verge  reported Friday. 

This news from Fortnite’s  developer comes mere hours after Valve  banned and delisted any games using  NFTs, cryptocurrency, and blockchain technologies from Steam. Likely because The Epic Games Store is Steam’s largest direct competitor for selling PC games and software. 

Epic told The Verge  that the company is willing to work with developers that support cryptocurrency and blockchain-based assets on The Epic Games Store. Right after the story went live, Sweeny commented on the situation. 

“Epic Games Store will welcome games that make use of blockchain tech provided they follow the relevant laws, disclose their terms, and are age-rated by an appropriate group,” Sweeny said on Twitter. “Though Epic’s not using crypto in our games, we welcome innovation in the areas of technology and finance.”

Sweeny continued: “As a technology, the blockchain is just a distributed transactional database with a decentralized business model that incentivizes investment in hardware to expand the database’s capacity. This has utility whether or not a particular use of it succeeds or fails.”

Valve is not the only company Epic Games has gone toe-to-toe with recently. Last month, Apple blacklisted Fornite  from its devices  in response to the ongoing legal battle between both companies. 

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Steam is banning all NFTs and cryptocurrency games from its storefront

Blockchain technology of any kind is getting the boot from Valve’s platform.

Valve Software no longer allows games with cryptocurrency, NFTs, or any blockchain technology on Steam, NME  reported Friday.

Over on the Steamworks onboarding page, Valve has updated its guidelines, and there’s a new rule directly addressing and prohibiting NFTs. At the bottom of a list of “what you shouldn’t publish on Steam,” Valve added the following item.

“Applications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs,” Valve  said.

Several games on the platform have already been delisted and removed, including Age of Rust, a first-person adventure game that allows players to collect and solve NFTs puzzles in-game.

“Community: A few minutes ago, we were notified that [Steam] will be kicking *all blockchain games* off the platform,” Age of Rust said on Twitter. “because NFTs have value. Behind the scenes, we’ve had good communication and have been upfront with Steam.”

Valve itself has yet to issue any statement on the new rule, but it’s a pretty significant thing to add to an onboarding page. 

“We chose to be upfront about blockchain gaming & NFTs. As a result, we finally lost the battle with Steam,” Age of Rust  said. “While [we are] disappointed for Age of Rust being removed, the point is more to the fact that Blockchain games as whole are going to be removed. This is setback for all.”

This controversy comes only a few weeks after Valve canceled ticket sales for its annual DOTA 2 International event. However, the company is still riding a wave of positive buzz for its upcoming Steamdeck handheld.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Valve says opening up the Steam Deck could end your life

Try not to burn the house down, ok?

There’s a lot of hype around Valve Software’s Steam Deck, but opening the portable gaming device could cause serious physical harm. At least, that’s what the developers behind are saying.

During a Steam Deck teardown video, Valve warns that disassembling the device could be dangerous if you don’t know precisely how to go about it.

“In one way, this is a how-to video,” Valve says. “But in another way, it’s a ‘why you really shouldn’t do this’ video. That’s because even though it’s your PC, or will be once you’ve received your Steam Deck and you have every right to open it up and do what you want, we at Valve really don’t recommend that you ever open it up.”

Valve continued: “If you damage the battery, the whole [Steam Deck] could catch fire later, which would be bad. So be forewarned and leave this kind of thing to professionals unless you really feel like taking big risks with your property and with your life. Which could end if you do this wrong.”

Check out the whole teardown video for yourself below.

It’s a bit unusual to see a big company address hardware enthusiasts that are the most likely to attempt something like this, but cool nonetheless. The Steam Deck begins shipping this December.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Valve cancels ticket sales for ‘DOTA 2’ International

Just days before competitions were to begin, too.

Valve Software made the difficult decision to refund all tickets for DOTA 2’s The International mere days before the tournament begins on Oct. 7 due to rising COVID-19 cases in Romania.

“We have been carefully evaluating the continued rise of Covid rates in Romania, as well as the resulting introduction of new local restrictions in Bucharest,” Valve said on DOTA 2’s blog. “To ensure the safety of all players, talent, and production staff participating in the event, we have decided to refund all ticket sales for The International 2021.”

The statement continued: “We wanted nothing more than to welcome fans live to the event, but we can no longer do so in a way that allows us to prioritize the health and well-being of both audience members and participants. Those who purchased tickets will be issued a full refund automatically.”

President of PGL Esports, the company that helps Valve organize The International, said that he believes tournaments of this scale can only return if all attendees are vaccinated. So no doubt that they have taken this situation seriously from the beginning. It’s a shame, though, that some DOTA 2 fans who traveled across to watch The International live are only just getting this news now, though. 

It’s certainly risky to plan any travel during the pandemic.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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‘Counter-Strike’ pro Aleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev gets his own documentary

S1imple Formula chronicles the rise and career of arguably CS:GO’s biggest star.

Aleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev is one of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s most decorated players, and a new documentary just came out highlighting his career.

S1mple Formula, produced by Kostyliev’s team NAVI, is a documentary chronicling his path towards professional Counter-Strike and what sets him apart from other players. It includes interviews with former and current teammates, coaches, friends, commentators, analysts, and Kostyliev’s family. Clocking in at just shy of two hours, S1mple Formula is a staggeringly thorough look at one of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s biggest stars.

“I remember the time when we just signed a contract in 2016,” Yevhen Zolotarov, СЕО of NAVI, said via Dot Esports. “Honestly, now it’s hard to believe that it was already five years ago. For the esports industry, five years is quite a long period of time.”

Check out the teaser for S1imple Formula for yourself below.

The full documentary is on YouTube for those willing to learn all about the life and trials of this legendary player.

We don’t see profiles for esports stars all that often, so here’s to hoping this is just the first of many.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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Valve commemorates late ‘DOTA 2’ commentator with moving in-game tribute

Aldrin Paulo “Dunoo” Pangan is now forever part of DOTA 2.

In the most recent update for DOTA 2, developer Valve Software added a tribute to the late Aldrin Paulo “Dunoo” Pangan. The legendary Filipino commentator that recently lost his life to COVID-19.

“We were saddened to hear recently of the passing of Aldrin Paulo ‘Dunoo’ Pangan, an icon of the Filipino casting community,” Valve said on the DOTA 2 blog. “As a tribute, for the next season, the selected chat wheels feature some of his most iconic lines.”

The platinum-tier chat wheel lines include:

  • “Easiest money of my life!”
  • “Lakad Matataaaag! Normalin Normalin.”
  • “The next level play!”

Even if you’re not familiar with DOTA 2, Pangan’s energy during matches was unparalleled. Check out a clip of him going wild for yourself below

DOTA 2’s community is still processing the grief that comes with Pangan’s passing as well.

Now, Pangan is part of the game that he loved so dearly.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF. 

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