Valve has announced that a set of non-gaming software titles will be hitting Steam next month. The new applications will range in category from creativity to productivity and will take advantage of popular Steamworks features such as easy installation, automatic updating and the ability to save your work in Steam Cloud, where it can be accessed from any computer using your login credentials.
The launch is scheduled for September 5 and Valve is quick to point out that new titles will be added in a regular fashion following the initial batch. Developers will be able to submit new software titles through Steam Greenlight, according to the press release.
Valve's Mark Richardson said in the press release that 40 million gamers that frequent Steam are interested in more than just playing video games. He says that users have told them they would like to have more of their software on Steam and that the expansion is in response to those requests.
The move follows an apparent software update slip-up last month that saw Steam's mobile app for Android and iOS briefly showcasing several new software genres. The update was quickly pulled but not before several readers captured screenshots. New categories included Accounting, Design& Illustration, Education, Photo Editing, Software Training, Video Production and Web Publishing, just to name a few.
The announcement didn't specify any titles or what sort of price point titles will launch at. We'll keep an eye on September 5 for more answers from Valve as the new categories officially go live.