Valve releases Team Fortress 2 source code, opening the door for game overhaul mods

Valve has been putting a lot of its development resources into new projects in recent years. From Artifact and Dota Underworlds, to more successful releases like Half-Life Alyx and Counter-Strike 2. This has essentially meant that Team Fortress 2 has been left behind. Now, Valve has handed the keys to TF2 to the community.

Team Fortress 2 is now open source. The Team Fortress 2 Source SDK is now available. With this tool now available, people can essentially re-write Team Fortress 2, enabling game overhaul mods, new modes, new multiplayer experiences and more.

“Unlike the Steam Workshop or local content mods, this SDK gives mod makers the ability to change, extend or rewrite TF2, making anything from small tweaks to complete conversions possible”, Valve explains. “The SDK is licensed to users on a non-commercial basis, meaning that any mod created using the SDK must be free, and any content in those mods must be free. TF2 mods may be published on the Steam Store, and after publication will appear as new games in the Steam game list.”

Using TF2 as a base, developers could also create new game listings for the Steam Store. We've seen this happen with Half-Life projects in the past, like Black Mesa, a complete remake of the original Half-Life.

There is just one stipulation Valve has in place. As Workshop modders were responsible for a lot of in-game content for TF2 in the form of custom hats and other cosmetics, Valve does not want any developers to take those workshop items and then reutilise them for profit. It is unknown if Valve would make an exception for a developer willing to share a revenue split with the original workshop item creators.

KitGuru Says: With this move, I think we can safely say that there will be no more major content updates for Team Fortress 2. Now fans have to wonder – is Valve considering a Team Fortress 3?

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