Valve has expressed an interest in expanding to China in an official form for some time now, and it seems this venture is finally coming into fruition. Today in a press event in China, Perfect World CEO Robert Hong Xiao revealed more about its partnership with Valve that aims to bring the gaming platform over to Chinese audiences.
Named Zhengqi Pingtai in China, this version of Steam will be almost entirely separate from the international version available everywhere else. The games available in this version will only be those that are approved by the Chinese government and adhere to its strict regulations, for example, regarding the display of blood and gambling.
This Chinese client will have almost 40 games as launch titles. This includes Valve's first-party titles like Dota 2 and Underlords, as well as well-known third-party games like Risk of Rain 2, Overcooked 2, Two Point Hospital, Euro Truck Simulator 2, Into the Breach, Descenders, and Human Fall Flat, among others. VR releases will also be supported.
Although games from the regular international version of Steam can still be accessed from China, circumventing the many regulations, the move to a separate client with its own selection of games with approval could mean the former version doesn't have much time left in the region.
Sources: Technode, Mike Rose (Twitter)
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