Five Leading Modifications Mark Debut of Mods On Steam.

Valve today announced the availability of five leading Source MODs (game modifications built atop Valve's leading engine technology). The initial set of MODs offered via Steam are available free of charge for owners of any Source-based game.

To celebrate the launch of MODs on Steam and give gamers an easy entry into the world of Source MODs, Valve is offering Half-Life 2: Episode One for just $4.99. The original Steam MOD squad is comprised of: Age of Chivalry, D.I.P.R.I.P., Insurgency, Synergy, and Zombie Panic.

"Valve has been supporting the MOD community since the company's inception, offering updates to the SDK, holding MOD Expos and being the first to bring a MOD to retail with Counter-Strike in November 2000," said Doug Lombardi, vice president of marketing at Valve. "The debut of these MODs on Steam marks the beginning of a new level of support for the MOD community by putting the leading MODs at the finger tips of over 15 million targeted gamers."

The first MOD squad is available now. Once installed, these MODs will appear in the Steam "My Games" list and the MODs will receive automatic updates just like other games on Steam. Also, these MODs now take advantage of Steamworks, providing stat tracking and tighter integration with the Steam community.

For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com.