Steam, a popular service of computer games distribution, can integrate bitcoin payments in the near future. The information is provided by users of company’s forum.
The message about the company’s intention to start accepting bitcoin was posted in the forum under the moniker Haoose.
“Bitcoin transactions are authorized through the BitPay website,” writes Haoose.
To support the statement, a screenshot was published with, reportedly, parts of the code that allows Steam to accept bitcoins. This information has provoked an animated discussion, with the majority of the forum participants absolutely supporting the idea of the virtual currency integration to Steam.
“Using the 3rd party integration BitPay is zero risk for Valve compared to running a node and implementing the Bitcoin receiving internally, and they can convert and receive it all in USD automatically (less a small fee) without actually touching a single Bitcoin and worrying about devaluation/stability,” – writes user dmn 2002.
Other users also remarked that bitcoin integration can fasten the process of buying.
“Yes, sure, you can already buy Steam cards using Bitcoin, but the process isn't really as streamlined as simply paying up for the exact amount directly, and there are times these third-party sellers are out of supply,” says another user.
However, despite the users’ enthusiasm, it is too early to confirm the bitcoin integration by Steam. The management of the company has not yet provided any official information on the subject. Steam’s website contains no news about the bitcoin integration either, the latest piece of info posted there being devoted to the Chinese New Year sales.
Steam, the service of computer games distribution, is used by several million customers around the world. According to some experts’ estimates, in 2014 Valve earned $1.5 billion on Steam.
Bitcoins are becoming more popular payment option among adults that are keen on computer games. Last week the company Wargaming (World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, World of Warships) announced that it starts accepting bitcoin payments from their American users.
Roman Korizky
