By Valve has officially released a significant Source SDK update granting modders access to the Team Fortress 2 game code, paving the way for them to develop brand new games inspired by the classic FPS and release these titles on Steam.
“This update will empower content creators to craft entirely new games based on TF2,” Valve states in its announcement. “We’re also rolling out a major update to all our multiplayer back-catalogue Source engine titles (TF2, DoD:S, HL2:DM, CS:S, and HLDM:S), adding 64-bit binary support, a scalable HUD/UI, prediction fixes, and numerous other enhancements!”
The Source SDK is primarily a suite of free modding tools provided by Valve. “In contrast to the Steam Workshop or local content mods,” Valve explains, “this SDK provides mod developers the capability to alter, expand, or completely rewrite TF2, enabling anything from minor adjustments to full conversions.” Valve emphasizes that while these mods “must be free,” their creators will be permitted to publish them on Steam.
Up to this point, significant Team Fortress 2 mods have existed in somewhat of a gray area over the years. Many of these mods have utilized leaked or reverse-engineered source code, which Valve has been notably displeased about – a fact that became evident when the developers of a mod called TF2 Classic shared their experience of being taken offline for several months back in 2021. With this source code now publicly and officially available, the developers behind these projects can breathe a little easier.
“We’re already gearing up for the porting initiatives and a potential Steam launch now that we’ve been legally authorized to move forward,” TF2 Classic developer sniffy194 mentioned today in the project’s Discord.
The developers behind Pre-Fortress 2, another long-standing mod, are equally enthusiastic. “We will be diligently working to transition PF2 to this new SDK to comply with the requirements for a full Steam release,” said developer Sour Dani in the PF2 Discord. “This also means that all your favorite TF2 mods will likely do the same!”
In tandem with the SDK update, there has been a substantial update to TF2 itself, incorporating a host of new features, including support for a borderless windowed display mode and various fresh visual effects. Unsurprisingly, this update has also broken compatibility with existing mods like TF2 Classic and Pre-Fortress 2, but with the new SDK now available, it’s probably just a matter of time before these mods receive an improved, enhanced release.
Historically, Valve has been quite supportive of mods – after all, games like Counter-Strike and Team Fortress began as community projects – w