Valve just struck a deal to bring Steam back to China
A few months back, Steam found all of its community pages blocked in mainland China. A deal with Perfect World might bring it back.
The Steam Controller.
Being a gamer in China can be an uphill battle. For years, game consoles were technically illegal in the country, and the government has frequently banned popular video games for a variety of reasons -- like the time PUBG was on the chopping block for posing risks to "mental health."
That's why it wasn't too much of a surprise when, earlier this year, Steam's community pages were blocked in China -- a move that still allowed games to be purchased from the platform, but blocked virtually all interaction with other players and the gaming network's community. Now, Valve says it might be coming back to China in full force with the help of Perfect World.
The two companies didn't give any specific details, but said that they would collaborate to create "Steam China," which would "provide Chinese gamers and developers with a new way to access Steam's expansive selection of games and entertainment." There's no set release date for this local version of the platform, but it's not the first time the two companies have teamed up to get games to Chinese players: DOTA 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are both managed by Perfect World subsidiaries in the country.