Lionsgate Goes After Gamers, Licensing Movies to Steam

The deal makes it one of the first major studios to license films to Valve’s gaming download store

Studio Lionsgate agreed to license more than 100 films, including its hit “Hunger Games” franchise, to Valve’s Steam, an online gaming store where people can digitally downloaded games, the companies said Monday.

It makes the studio one of the first to license movies there, as Lionsgate widens the platforms where it pushes its content. It follows Lionsgates moves in the last year to launch online subscription video services, like a Comic Con-branded service and a video-on-demand offering with Kevin Hart.

Steam’s licensing deal includes some of Lionsgate’s biggest hits, including titles from the “Hunger Games,” “Twilight,” “Saw” and “Divergent.”

“We’re delighted to partner with Steam, a leader in the digital entertainment and gaming space, as part of our commitment to remain at the cutting edge of innovation in delivering content to online audiences around the world,” Jim Packer, Lionsgate president of Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution, said. “With more than 125 million users, Steam represents a unique, exciting and disruptive opportunity to expand our global distribution business.”

Valve head of marketing Doug Lombardi touted Lionsgate as “a major creative force with a deep pipeline.”

“Their films are engaging audiences and fostering rich communities around the world, reflecting the kind of high-quality entertainment that we expect to drive the continued expansion of our content offering,” he said.

Steam customers are able to view video on all Steam-supported platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, SteamOS, and in virtual reality via SteamVR.

For pricing and availability details are available at http://store.steampowered.com/sale/lionsgate.

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