Then, in the late 10's, Steam gave up on the concept of Steam Boxes and their own flavor Linux, SteamOS, and it seemed to many of us it would only be a matter of time till Steam gave up on Steam for Linux. But games continued to get coded for Linux, and Steam for Linux chugged on, though without much attention from major studios.
Now enter Sega and the total war: warhammer game. I recieved a free copy from a Games Workshop promotion, and though I don't own a Windows PC at the moment, figured I should redeem it in case that changes soon. Imagine my surprise when I redeemed my steam code and the game appeared on my games for Linux list. I was so excited about it, honestly, I went straight into writing this article. I mean, a major publisher like Sega, with a major property like Total War, and a license like Warhammer, available on Linux. Even a decade ago I would have told you you were mad if you'd said this would happen. I'm just glad I've seen a shift like this in my life.
It really has seemed for the longest time that gaming on the PC was restricted solely to Windows, with even Mac having to scrape and play second fiddle. To see the linux development environment explode in recent years, and more companies embrace this shift and release titles on Linux, its heartening to see people support a less controlling and more laser-focused ecosystem. Steam Boxes may not have taken off like Valve originally envisioned, but I personally feel that all of gaming is bettered by the inclusion of a Linux download client. And hopefully we will see more in kind from their major competitors, so the entire gaming culture can grow better together.
I look forward to playing Total War: Wahammer on my Linux box, and I hope to see more major titles get this treatment soon.
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