Valve has definitively stated its intention to avoid creating games exclusive to the Steam Machine platform. The company views the entirety of the PC gaming catalog as the effective "launch exclusive" for its hardware, a move that sidesteps speculation about proprietary titles driving hardware adoption. This approach aligns with Valve's long-standing commitment to open systems and third-party access.
Valve engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais explained to Bloomberg that the company does not consider restricting game access to a specific platform to be a viable model. Instead, Valve aims to make the extensive PC library available on its hardware. The idea of a game being truly exclusive to the Steam Machine is also questioned, given the Linux-driven system's inherent flexibility. Users have the ability to modify the hardware, including installing alternative operating systems like Windows. Fundamentally, the Steam Machine runs games available on Steam, a platform accessible on any PC.
This stance is consistent with Valve's history. The company has consistently supported open platforms and third-party accessibility, notably with its efforts to promote Linux as a core operating system. Even Valve's own high-profile VR title, Half-Life: Alyx, was designed to function with a wide range of VR headsets, rather than being tied to a single hardware solution. Launching a game exclusively on Steam is already standard practice for Valve, as it represents the vast majority of the PC market. The notion of a game being exclusive to Steam is therefore somewhat redundant, as it is already the primary distribution platform for Valve's releases. Therefore, any future major titles from Valve, such as a hypothetical Half-Life 3, would logically be available on any PC capable of running it through Steam.