Over the weekend, SteamDB reported that a new Steam beta client was removing player access to older versions of games. Changes to the client’s content management system meant that Steam would return an error message if players tried to access any version of a game other than the most current one, a change that spooked modders, speedrunners, and achievement hunters on the PC platform.

Valve has now issued a statement concerning the beta client and access to older game versions. Speaking to PC Gamer, a Valve spokesperson told everyone there's nothing to worry about.

"We are actually not planning to disable downloading old builds," the Valve spokesperson said. "What we are working on is an approach on handling edge cases involving unowned content, and helping partners more easily take down builds that need to be removed for things like copyright issues. We’ll have more to share on that work when it’s ready to ship."

Most Steam users will never revert a game to a previous version, but game historians have long appreciated Steam's ability to bring back older versions of games, as have achievement hunters and speedrunners utilizing glitches that made their quests easier but were removed in subsequent patches. Modders have also valued the ability to stick with older game versions to keep their mods intact.



In other Steam news, Konami is holding a huge sale on the platform and offering up classics like Metal Gear Solid 5, Silent Hill: Homecoming, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow at huge discounts. Or might I suggest the best Metal Gear game of all time, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

If Metal Gear isn't your thing, you could give Amazon's new MMO a try. New World is currently the most popular game on Steam, but despite owning most of the servers that power the internet, Amazon seems to be having trouble keeping up with all the new players.

Posted: Oct 01, 2021 5:35 pm
Related Forum: PC Gaming Forum

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/valve-steam-older-game-build-access-stays/