Source 2 Encourages Steam Lock-In
Valve
Free engine access turns Steam from a store into part of the development stack. A studio that builds on Source 2 is not just choosing where to sell, it is choosing tools, workflows, and likely a default distribution home. That matters because Steam already handles builds, updates, matchmaking, saves, pricing, payments, and fraud, so adding the engine pulls another step of game creation inside Valve's system and makes leaving more expensive in time and rework.
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This is the same playbook Epic uses from the other direction. Epic ties Unreal Engine economics to store distribution, waiving engine royalties on Epic Games Store sales and now offering reduced royalties for titles that launch on Epic early or at the same time. In both cases, engine pricing is being used to steer storefront behavior.
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Valve's advantage is that Source 2 sits next to Steamworks. A developer can use one bundle for achievements, cloud saves, leaderboards, matchmaking, analytics, build upload, regional pricing, tax handling, and fraud prevention. That reduces setup work for a PC studio and makes Steam the easiest place to operate the live game day to day.
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The commercial logic is to defend Steam's take rate without cutting headline fees. Steam still captures roughly 30%, 25%, and 20% depending on sales tier, while Epic competes with 12% store fees and softer engine terms. Giving away Source 2 lets Valve add value around the fee instead of competing only on price.
The next step is a tighter bundle across engine, services, operating system, and hardware. As SteamOS spreads beyond Steam Deck to third party devices, Valve can make Steam the easiest place to build, ship, and run a PC game. That would deepen lock in from storefront choice into the full game development and play environment.