Steam is a digital platform developed and operated by Valve Corporation. The platform was launched in 2003 and is one of the largest and most popular digital distribution platforms in the world. Steam has become a powerful platform that not only focuses on the sale of Steam games, but also offers a wide range of services and features.
Steam has become one of the largest and most used platforms in the world, but its origins are less well known. The idea for Steam came about when Valve Corporation wanted to create a digital distribution platform that would allow developers to distribute their games easily. After the idea was first conceived in 2003, the Valve team began developing the platform.
The Origins of Steam
The first step in development was to create a secure infrastructure for content distribution. Valve used a proprietary network to ensure that the games could be delivered safely and reliably. In 2005, Steam was officially released and gave developers and publishers the ability to publish their games on the platform. Valve also added some new features, including the matchmaking system, the automatic update, the friends system, and the in-game chat.
Over time, Valve added more features to make Steam a more comprehensive platform. In 2008, Steam Workshop was released, a place where players can create and share their own content. In 2009, Valve added the ability to reward active players on the platform and introduced a Steam points system. In 2011, Steam Greenlight was introduced, a system that allows players to vote on the release of new games.
Steam has over the years become one of the easiest and most popular ways to buy and play digital games. Thanks to the secure infrastructure and the numerous features that Steam offers its users, it has become one of the largest and most influential digital distribution platforms in the world.
