ID Software gets Steamed

Video game publisher ID Software has signed a deal with Valve to distribute a range of the company's popular game franchises on Valve's Steam network.

ID Software is credited with the creation of the first first-person-shooters with the making of Wolfenstein 3D and the cult classic Doom, which launched the entire genre.

Starting today, Steam users can download full versions of the complete Doom series and Quake I - III, including mission packs, as well as a collection of retro classics like Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny, Heretic and HeXen.

Steam was launched as an online distribution and multiplayer management system by Valve following the release of Half-life 2.

The company has since made deals with several other big name publishers such as Eidos, THQ and 2K Games to serve as a digital distribution platform for a wide range of games to its more than 13 million account holders around the world.

Games can be purchased for download individually or in collections, including the ID Superpack which includes every ID game on Steam. Certain packages will also carry a 10 per cent discount until 10 August.

Prices currently range from around $5 for the older games up to $62.95 for the Superpack, which requires users to download nearly 5GB of data.