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Valve: Steam for Linux Fueled by Windows 8 'Catastrophe'

On Wednesday, Valve head Gabe Newell admitted that the company was actually motivated by the fact that Windows 8 is going to be "a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space," according to VentureBeat.

July 26, 2012

When Valve that it is building a Linux version of Steam, it said the focus on Linux was because "working with a single distribution is critical when you are experimenting."

On Wednesday, Valve head Gabe Newell admitted that another reason to focus on Linxus is because Windows 8 will be "a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space," according to VentureBeat.

At the Casual Connect video game conference in Seattle, the Valve boss added that the Windows 8 fallout will drive top-tier PC makers away from the market.

A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment on Newell's remarks.

As PCMag sister site Geek.com pointed out, Newell is most concerned about what he perceives to be Microsoft's effort to control the Windows platform and limit access to competitors. With Linux, Newell said Valve is simply lining up alternatives.

Xbox Live , which could hurt Valve's Steam platform.

Valve's first Linux game will be Left 4 Dead 2 (L4D2), with more to follow, possibly including the popular Portal 2.

Newell, a former Microsoft employee, argued that Linux is being held back by a lack of available games.

"I think that a lot of people – in their thinking about platforms – don't realize how critical games are as a consumer driver of purchases and usage," Newell told VentureBeat, citing Steam's Linux partnership as a "hedging strategy."

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 12:20 p.m. Eastern with comment from Microsoft.