Famed adventure game developer Telltale Games has reported that The Walking Dead Episode 1: A New Day has officially hit the one million sales mark. That’s awesome news for both Telltale and The Walking Dead, as the game was received quite well by gamers. What that means is that most of those one million sales are made up of satisfied fans who got a great game.

According to Telltale, The Walking Dead is its fastest-selling series. Episode 1 topped sales charts across Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Steam, and because this is just the first of five episodes in the series, we can definitely expect The Walking Dead to continue to rake in revenue for the folks making the games.

Currently, Telltale is planning to release The Walking Dead for iOS platforms this summer. Additionally, Episode 2: Starved for Help is scheduled to land on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, PC, and Mac next month. Here’s hoping the next chapter in the series is as great as Episode 1, so the franchise can continue selling well, and so fans of The Walking Dead can keep getting content worth being stoked about.

Valve’s quietly added a new feature for those set to receive beta updates in Steam, the ability to remotely manage content downloads. Yes, that means you can manage your Steam library from any computer, or even via your mobile phone. Instructions are as follows:

* Log into your Steam account online from your computer or mobile device at www.steampowered.com

* Visit your Games list by navigating to the Community and then clicking GAMES in the secondary navigation bar. If you’re logged into the Steam client, the games list will reflect the installation state of your library on that machine.

* Locate your game and tap the install button to initiate your remote download.

To enroll in Steam’s beta program, simply navigate to File -> Settings, select the Account tab and open up Change… under Beta Participation. From there, click the dropdown menu to opt-in. Once again, this goes to show why Steam is several steps ahead of the competition.

Valve’s announced that another bout of free Portal 2 DLC will hit Steam on May 8. It’s dubbed “Perpetual Testing Initiative” and allows players to easily create, share, and play Portal 2 puzzles.

Creations can be directly published to Steam Workshop from within the game, which means you never have to leave the confines of Portal 2. While it’s possible to build your own maps using Valve’s Source SDK authoring tools, the associated learning curve put it out of reach for many. The streamlined approach of this puzzle maker will no doubt attract a much larger audience.

How flexible the in-game editor is remains to be seen, but we’ll find out on May 8. Valve noted the DLC is for PC and Mac only. No word on if PS3 owners will get similar treatment down the road.

Valve has provided an update on the Steam intrusion that occurred last November, notifying customers that new developments in the investigation suggest hackers obtained a copy of an old backup file – one that dates back to 2004.

While the file contained “user names, email addresses, encrypted billing addresses and encrypted credit card information,” it reassuringly did not include password data. No evidence suggests the encrypted contents were compromised either, which is good news. Transactions from 2004-2008 were listed in the file.

While Valve believes your credit card data is safe, it still suggests to remain cautious by keeping an eye on statements and activity. Turning Steam Guard on is recommended for added account protection.

Developer Remedy today narrowed down the release date for Alan Wake PC, revealing that it’ll hit Steam on February 16. Distribution will carry over to other e-tailers such as Origin “soon” after that, along with a boxed retail product.

The late debut carries a budget price, with the standard edition priced at $29.99, which includes downloadable content scenarios The Signal and The Writer. A Collector’s Edition will also be on offer for $34.99.

Key PC enhancements include a “wide selection of customizable graphics settings,” the ability to change field of view settings and hide on-screen HUD elements for more immersive gameplay, as well as AMD Eyefinity 3D and NVIDIA NVISION2 3D support.

That was quick. The Steam Mobile App, released in closed beta capacity last week, is now available to all.

Available on iOS and Android platforms, the app mimics functionality of the desktop Steam client, allowing gamers to chat with friends, browse community groups and user profiles, view screenshots and user-generated content for their favorite games, read the latest gaming news, stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales, and more.’

With sales now always in arm’s reach, we fear for our wallets.

Once again, Valve has taken convenience a step further with the introduction of the mobile Steam app for Android and iOS platforms. Currently in closed beta, users can use the app to chat with friends, keep tabs on daily Steam deals, browse community groups and view user generated content such as screenshots.

This means you’ll never miss another Steam sale, which could potentially be bad for your wallet, but hey, we’re grateful anyway.

“The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers,” said Valve president Gabe Newell.

“Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale – these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone.”

Those who wish to join the beta can sign-up for possible inclusion by hitting up this link from their mobile device. The app is also now available in the associated iOS and Android markets.

The long-awaited PC release of Alan Wake is near, with Remedy community manager ADM revealing that its Steam bound in February 2012. Considering how patient we’ve been up until now, a few more weeks is nothing. While there’s no word on pricing yet, a run-down of the system requirements was provided. At minimum, you’ll need a dual core processor and GeForce 8600GT. Quite reasonable.

Hit the break for more details. more »

In what appears to be the start of a new initiative by Microsoft to publish old PC titles digitally, Age of Empires III: Complete Collection has turned up on Steam.

The asking price for this RTS oldie is $19.99 until January 9, representing a 50% discount. Otherwise, it’s $40. Fairly steep even when you factor in the deal, considering how long ago this was released.

Still, it’s nice to see Microsoft jumping on the Steam bandwagon. This, combined with the arrival of Fable 3, certainly bodes well for Steam availability of Alan Wake PC, which is due out in the coming months.

Valve’s digital distribution service Steam continues to go from strength to strength, reaching a peak of 5 million concurrent users during its holiday sale extravaganza last week. It’s simmered down a bit since, but the figure was held a day after the holiday sale as well, on January 2.

Impressive, to say the least. It’s unclear how this stacks up to PSN or Xbox Live, as neither Microsoft or Sony have shared recent usage data. Still, considering Steam was just shy of the 4 million mark not long ago — about 4 months, this represents a 25 percent growth since then. Well deserved, we’d say. Valve knows how to keep its customers happy. more »