Steam Is Retiring Non-Gaming Video Content

Steam's policy pertaining to the platform's video content is changing to focus on solely on gaming-related videos.

Buying games is launching them through the platform is Steam's main purpose, but the platform also dabbled in selling movies and providing other video content for its users. Many users likely had no idea that such content was available since the platform is overwhelmingly geared towards games and related products, so it might be surprising to hear about Valve's new plans for video content.

"For the past few years, we have worked on expanding Steam beyond games and software by building a video platform that supports paid and free video content," Valve's update said. "In reviewing what Steam users actually watch, it became clear we should focus our effort on offering content that is either directly related to gaming or, is accessory content for games or software sold on Steam."

What this means is that Steam's video section within the Steam Store's menu has now been retired. Valve said the expectation of this change is that video content pertinent to a game will be found through that product's store page, recommendations, or other natural leads which would guide people to that content.

For anyone who already has video content they're acquired through Steam, Valve said they'll be able to keep that content.

"Over the coming weeks a number of non-gaming videos will be retired and will no longer be available for purchase," Valve's announcement explained. "Previously purchased content will remain available to owners."

Hints that the platform's video non-gaming video content sections would be shuttered came back in December when a sole post on Steam stirred up speculation about the future of the video section. Waves and Blaze, the producers of the video series Lyceum of the Strange which is still available on Steam, announced on December 19th that Steam would be shutting down all non-gaming video content in the platform's store. The creators said there were plans to continue releasing the series through Steam but advised fans to look elsewhere for the future episodes.

"We had plans to released [sic] and promote the series here on Steam with more animations and art production but that's coming to an end," Waves and Blaze said. "You may continue to download and watch until Feb 2019. Be sure to check us out on Youtube and Vimeo."