Microsoft to bring Quantum Break to Steam

Microsoft and Remedy Entertainment have jointly announced that Quantum Break, previously a Windows and Xbox Store exclusive, is coming to Valve's Steam distribution service, in a seeming admission that its own digital distribution efforts aren't going to plan.

Microsoft's games consoles have long had their own storefront, now known as the Xbox Store, from which players can buy everything from digital T-shirts to put on their avatars to full copies of freshly-released games. The launch of Windows 10 brought the same concept to the front of its desktop operating system, adding the Windows Store with applications and games that can be purchased and downloaded to compatible systems directly.

Launched in April this year, Quantum Break is available as an exclusive on Microsoft's Windows and Xbox Platforms. The game is notable for an effort to blend live-action serial with third-person shooting action, though critics have not been kind regarding the quality of the result. Sales, too, would appear to be lower than Microsoft had hoped; as a result, the company is relaunching the game on Steam, the popular digital distribution service which acts as a rival to Microsoft's own Windows Store.

The Steam version of Quantum Break, Microsoft has explained, will come with all the most recent updates pre-loaded. The company has also planned a physical version of the game, dubbed Quantum Break: Timeless Collector's Edition, which includes the game across five discs, a mandatory Steam redemption key, behind-the-scenes book and Blu-ray, a soundtrack CD, two posters, and a quickstart guide in what the company describes as 'premium packaging.'

Both new versions of the game are to launch on September 14, Microsoft has confirmed.