Steam Cloud Launching With Left 4 Dead; Custom Settings To Be Automatically Backed Up, Applied

Valve today confirmed that its cooperative zombie shooter Left 4 Dead, due November 18, will be the first game to pack support for its free Steam Cloud technology, which automatically stores game settings online.

The initial release of Steam Cloud will store keyboard, mouse, and gamepad configurations, along with multiplayer settings such as spraypaint images, on Steam, allowing gamers to easily play with their settings on any Steam-connected PC.

The initial release of Steam Cloud will not archive saved games, Valve confirmed with Shacknews, though the promised functionality "is coming."

Along with Left 4 Dead's Steam Cloud implementation, Valve will apply the technology to its back catalog of Steam games and provide the free Steam Cloud toolset to all Steam developers and publishers for widespread implementation.

"Steam Cloud is a natural extension of the portability Steam affords gamers and developers, and we intend to expand its feature set as it is used in Left 4 Dead and other games coming to Steam," noted Valve president Gabe Newell.