Steam sees over 100% growth in 2011

Valve has announced that digital distribution platform Steam had sales growth of over 100% in 2011.

It makes 2011 the seventh consecutive year that Steam has seen over 100% sales growth from the previous year.

According to Valve, that growth includes more than 1,800 games offered and more than 40 million total user accounts. During the height of the Steam Holiday Sale the number of simultaneous active users topped 5 million.

More than 14.5 million Steamworks games were registered over the year, a 67% increase on 2010. Standout performing titles for the year included Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Skyrim became the fastest-selling game in Steam's history, with 3.5 million copies sold in the first 48 hours it was available.

2011 also marked the launch of free-to-play games on Steam as well as the ability to trade in-game items with other users, with over 19 million items traded so far.

"Steam and Steamworks continues to evolve to keep up with customer and developer demands for new services and content," said Valve co-founder Gabe Newell.

"Looking forward, we are preparing for the launch of the Big Picture UI mode, which will allow gamers to experience Steam on large displays and in more rooms of the house."

> Read Digital Spy's review of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
> Read Digital Spy's review of Modern Warfare 3
> Read Digital Spy's review of Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Watch a trailer for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim below: