Now that Valve is introducing its own operating system, it would make sense that the developer would make its upcoming games (and one rumored legendary follow-up in particular) exclusive to the platform. Nothing would get gamers to switch from Windows to SteamOS faster than, say, a sequel to a beloved FPS that only runs in Linux, right? We'll never know, because Valve has sworn to stay away from operating system exclusivity in today's Steam Machine PR blitz.
Valve's Greg Comer says “you won't see an exclusive killer app for SteamOS from us," in an interview with IGN . "We're not going to be doing that kind of thing."
When we last heard of the Half-Life franchise, its status was still frustratingly uncertain . If Valve ever wanted a killer app for its new OS, Half-Life 3 would be the go-to game. But that line of thinking doesn't line up with the company's plans for SteamOS.
"That would go against our whole philosophy, to launch something that's exclusive to SteamOS or Steam machines,” says Valve's Anna Sweet. She doesn't just mean Valve games, either, but any third-party game from publishers or developers who have the resources to launch its games on other platforms.
Of course, Valve acknowledges that this doesn't include indie developers who don't have the resources to launch their games on anything other than Steam, but Sweet says that “whenever we talk to third-party partners, we encourage them to put their games in as many places as possible, including not on our platforms."
