September 13, 2007 - After a successful trial period, Valve is proud to announce the public launch of the Steam community features, an expansive set of social networking and online multiplayer features available for free on Steam, as it prepares for the launch of the Team Fortress 2 beta, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, September 17, 2007.

The Steam Community lets gamers create a personal profile-a Steam ID-complete with a photo or avatar, biographical details, favorite lists, and other information. Community members can add peers to a personal Friends List that shows in real-time who's online and available to chat or play a game. Accessible from within the Steam client or while playing a game, the Friends List makes it easy to invite friends to chat, play a game, or join a group.

Team Fortress 2 is the successor to the grand daddy of class-based multiplayer action games and the multiplayer component of The Orange Box, a unique compilation of new games from Valve. The Orange Box also includes Portal and the full collection of Half-Life 2 games released to date for just $50 on PC and $60 on the next generation consoles.

Starting Monday, September 17, the Team Fortress 2 (TF2) beta opens to those who pre-purchaser The Orange Box via Steam and save 10% of the regular price. The Steam community features will allow TF2 players to track detailed player and team statistics and achievements records.

To explore the Steam community features, install the Steam client available at www.steampowered.com. Click the Community tab within the Steam interface and take a tour of the features and create a profile.