Valve has announced that its popular game delivery platform for the PC, Steam, will now support in-game downloadable content for its library of titles – regardless of where the game was originally purchased. This means users will be able to get additional levels, characters, and other content directly from within games or on the Steam storefront rather than having to look somewhere else for it.

The move could spark an increased amount and variety of DLC for PC games – free or paid. Valve for one is known for delivering great post-release content for their games at no extra cost, as a strategy to combat piracy and build a loyal following, but many developers are very keen on the idea of monetizing additional game content and this will only make things simpler on the PC. It should also tempt more publishers into signing up to distribute their games using Valve’s system.

The first Steam title to get in-game DLC will be Twisted Pixel’s The Maw, which gets levels entitled “Brute Force” and “River Redirect,” each of which should cost $1.25 and are intended to fit between original levels as “deleted scenes.”