Steam to halt Windows 7, 8 support in 2024

Image: Valve

Steam will officially stop supporting Windows 7 and Windows 8 (and Windows 8.1) starting January 1, 2024. According to Valve, the newest features in Steam need an embedded version of Google Chrome, which no longer works with these older versions of Windows. Plus, future versions of Steam will need Windows features and security updates available in Windows 10 and above. So, if you haven't made the shift to the newer Windows operating system yet and use Steam, now is the time to switch.

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Valve catches and bans 40,000 accounts in 'Dota 2'

Image: Valve

Valve recently patched a known issue in Dota 2 that uses third-party software to cheat. At the same time, the developer set up a honeypot trap to catch players using the exploit. Valve has permanently banned over 40,000 accounts caught red-handed using the software to cheat. 

Valve said this cheat is giving users an unfair advantage by accessing information used internally by the Dota client that shouldn't be visible during gameplay. After investigating how it worked, the developer then identified and removed the "bad actors" from the active Dota player base.

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Valve plans a major update for 'Team Fortress 2'

Screenshot: Valve

It's been years since Valve released a major update for Team Fortress 2. But that's about to change. The studio published a rare blog post on the TF2 website asking the game's community to submit new content to the Steam Workshop ahead of May 1. Valve teases that it plans a "full-on update-sized update - with items, maps, taunts, unusual effects, war paints" and more. It plans to release the update in the summer.

As Engadget noted, the last major content release for TF2 was back in 2017 for its 10th anniversary. The smaller updates released in the past few years centred around the botting problem that made it impossible to play the title. So, if you've been waiting patiently for a new content addition, now's your time.

Valve won't host a Lunar New Year sale anymore

Source: Valve

Valve is changing the frequency of its big sales. Starting in 2023, Steam will forego its Lunar New Year Sale for the spring sale. That will run from March 16 to 23. According to the company, the spring sale is a popular request from developers and publishers. Many commented how the Lunar New Year sale (around late January or early February) ran too close to the December holiday sale.

"It will allow us to create more space between our four major seasonal sales and provide more opportunities throughout the year for developers to expand and execute their discounting calendar," Valve said in a blog post. "We think many publishers will still opt to discount games around the Lunar New Year holiday, using the custom discount tools. But we suspect customers will be better served by a little bit more time between the big Steam-wide seasonal sales."

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