Valve Software has revealed that it will start hosting select community-developed mods directly on its digital distribution platform, Steam, starting next week. The first five mods to be hosted are based on Valve's own Half-Life 2 and include the medieval Age of Chivalry, the co-operative Synergy, vehicle combat D.I.P.R.I.P, Insurgency and Zombie Panic.

Clearly, Valve is well aware that these community creations can dramatically extend the life-cycle of their games. Developers, on the other hand, will be happy to get wider recognition for their work. All the mods will be available for free and be able to make use of Steamworks, a suite of publishing and development tools that provides stat tracking and integration with the Steam community.