Team Fortress 2 Modders Rejoice as Valve Releases Full Client and Server Game Code

Surprise! Valve has unleashed a massive update to the Source SDK, generously including the complete client and server game code for Team Fortress 2. This opens the door for players to craft entirely new games from the ground up. Unlike Steam Workshop or standard local mods, this update grants modders unprecedented freedom to modify, expand, and even completely rewrite Team Fortress 2 in virtually any conceivable way.

While commercialization is off the table—meaning any resulting mods or spin-offs must be freely distributed on a non-commercial basis—creations can still be published on the Steam Store, appearing as distinct games within the Steam game library.

In a blog post, Valve explained their reasoning: "Players have heavily invested in their TF2 inventories, and the Steam Workshop community has contributed significantly to the game's content. The majority of in-game items are a testament to the TF2 community's hard work. To honor this, we ask TF2 mod creators to respect this connection and refrain from creating mods intended to profit from Workshop contributors' efforts. We hope many mods will continue to allow players access to their TF2 inventories, where appropriate."

This update also extends to Valve's entire back-catalog of multiplayer Source engine titles, bringing a significant update with 64-bit binary support, scalable HUD/UI, prediction fixes, and numerous other improvements. This benefits not only TF2, but also DoD:S, HL2:DM, CS:S, and HLDM:S.

Following a seven-year hiatus, December saw the release of the seventh and final chapter of the Team Fortress 2 comic. These comics have served as a rich source of lore and character development for fans, and stand as a testament to Valve's enduring commitment to one of its longest-running franchises.