Valve’s Gabe Newell says it’s up to Microsoft to bring PC Game Pass to Steam

Valve president Gabe Newell said the company does not plan on introducing its own video game streaming service. However, Steam users could still have a similar product in the future if Microsoft decides to bring the PC Game Pass to the largest PC gaming digital distribution platform.

Video game streaming has become more popular in recent years. More companies have introduced their own subscription services. But many deems Microsoft's Game Pass is one of the leaders in this department as it is one of the few subscription services to offer access to new games, including first-party and third-party titles, on day one.

If there is any company that could match what PC Game Pass can offer, it would be Valve through the Steam platform. However, Newell said in a recent interview with PC Gamer that they are not planning on making a Game Pass rival.

"I don't think it's something that we think we need to do ourselves, building a subscription service at this time," the Valve boss said. "But for their customers it's clearly a popular option, and we'd be more than happy to work with them to get that on Steam."

Newell added that there have been some conversations with Microsoft about bringing PC Game Pass to Steam. "If your customers want it, then you should figure out how to make it happen. That's where we're at," Newell added.

Microsoft has not announced any plans yet on bringing PC Game Pass to Steam or Steam Deck. But Xbox head Phil Spencer called the Steam Deck a "nice device" after using it for a week last August. Spencer also confirmed he was able to use the Xbox Cloud Gaming service, also known as xCloud, on Steam Deck.

Currently, xCloud is offered as one of the exclusive features in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It allows members to stream supported games on select devices running Windows, Android, iOS, and Xbox consoles.

Newell's stand on creating Valve's own streaming service is not surprising. The company is not big on making platform-exclusive products. An earlier FAQ page published last December for developers confirmed that Valve does not plan on launching Steam Deck-exclusive games. "It's a PC and it should just play games like a PC," Valve said.