Valve has been busy piling up games with hearts of gold in their increasingly popular, and increasingly cramped, Steam bordello. With the recent additions of Introversion's DEFCON and seventeen members of the burgeoning PopCap clan, Steam is really (steaming up/under pressure/on fire). Sure, a little service called Xbox Live ain't doing so poorly, but they're not delivering highly anticipated AAA retail titles yet, so there.
Today, Valve announced a deal with Ubisoft to distribute their Source-based, first-person RPG, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic over Steam. More importantly, the release will be simultaneous with the retail release this October. Unlike Half-Life 2, which is distributed digitally over Steam and in stores by EA, Valve does not own this property, they're just the messengers. Ubisoft is acknowledging the demand for digitally distributed AAA content and using the largest platform they can find to promote it. We're still waiting on governement-distributed protein pills and personal submarines, but the third pillar of our future vision is now realized.
Check out a video of Dark Messiah, and today's press release, after the break.
Ubisoft's Highly Anticipated Action Role Playing Game Heading to Online Platform
Leipzig, Germany - August 31, 2006 - Today Valve®, creators of the Steam broadband gaming platform, announced that it has partnered with Ubisoft to bring the highly anticipated action role playing title Dark Messiah of Might & Magic to the Steam online distribution service when the product is launched worldwide in October 2006.
"I am a long-time fan of the Might & Magic franchise," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "Valve is delighted to have Dark Messiah of Might & Magic on Steam's growing list of new releases for the holiday season. But, more importantly, I just can't wait to play it."
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic is an action-RPG created by Arkane Studios and powered by an enhanced version of the Source Engine, the award-winning game technology created by Valve for Half-Life 2 and its next generation games. The single-player mode is developed by Arkane Studios and the multiplayer mode is by Kuju Entertainment. Named the most anticipated RPG of the year by leading publications around the world, Dark Messiah of Might & Magic challenges players to ferocious single-player and multiplayer combat set in the Might & Magic universe, one of the gaming industry's most successfully and longest-running fantasy game franchises.
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic will be made available for the PC via Steam and at retail outlets around the world for an estimated price of $50 later this year.
