Valve have reportedly stated there will be no exclusivity on Steam Deck, and that users are free to install games not on Steam.

GamesIndustry.biz reports that Valve recently released an FAQ based on developer questions (though seemingly not the same as the one on the official website). One of these questions was regarding if Valve wanted exclusivity on Steam Deck.

“No, that doesn’t make much sense to us,” Valve reportedly stated. “It’s a PC and it should just play games like a PC.” In addition, Steam Deck will support installation of software from outside Steam. “Just install the application and then add it to Steam from desktop mode and it’ll show up just like it would on any PC.” As with Steam itself, users can also add games to use Steam client features.

Steam had to deal with exclusivity from the other side. When the Epic Games store first launched, it essentially “swiped” titles that were due to launch on Steam. Epic Games Store exclusivity incentives have included a larger cut of profits, upfront payments of undisclosed amounts of money (in some cases reportedly up to $10 million USD), and a “guarantee of sales.”

In 2019, Valve seemingly updated its terms for developers and publishers. This banned them from announcing a game for Steam and backing out later for exclusivity on another platform. However, other reports cited that the “new” terms had been part of their policies for quite a while- yet were not enforced against games that had jumped ship.

In recent news, the Steam Deck’s packaging and carrying case were revealed. In case you missed it, you can find our video on whether Steam Deck poses an existential threat to consoles.

Steam Deck was recently delayed, and launches February 2022.

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