Valve Welcomes Android Developers to Steam
Valve has announced that it is expanding its PC marketplace to include Android developers. In an interview with The Verge, engineer Jeremy Selan explained that Valve’s goal is to make it seamless for players to access their favorite games on Steam without having to worry about the device hosting the game.
This news is not only significant for popular mobile games like Monopoly Go or Royal Match, but also for virtual reality developers who have been creating games using the Android-based APK for the Meta Quest. By allowing developers to easily port their games from the Quest to Steam, Valve is paving the way for the upcoming release of the newly-announced Steam Frame.
Selan noted, “They’re really VR developers who want to publish their VR content, and they’re porting a mobile VR title where they’re already familiar with how to make those APKs.”
This move could have major implications for Google, which currently dominates the Android app market with the Google Play Store. Google is facing pressure to open up Android devices to other app stores and reduce developer fees, especially in light of Epic’s recent legal victory.
