SteamXbox Live, watch out: It’s full Steam ahead for Valve.

Bellevue-based Valve says its Steam video-game platform now has 65 million active accounts — 30 percent growth in the past year.

Those are free accounts, but in raw numbers, the growth propels Steam past Xbox Live, which now has 48 million users after launching in Nov. 2002. The Xbox Live number includes both free and paid (Xbox Live Gold for $60/year) accounts.

But Sony’s Playstation Network still reigns supreme with 110 million users worldwide. Like Steam, PSN doesn’t charge customers to create an account (although Playstation 4 owners will have to pay to play online).

Valve’s announcement comes at an interesting time. While Microsoft and Sony are set to release next generation consoles next month, Valve last month unveiled plans to bring PC gaming into the living room, complete with a Steam gaming machine, a free Steam operating system and a unique controller.

 

Platform user count

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