The Steam Sale is being invaded by tentacles and Sekiro

(Image credit: Valve)

Something strange is happening over on the front page of the Steam Autumn Sale. The image at the top of the page, of a literal Steam Store with none other than Gabe Newell himself behind the counter, has taken a very odd and sinister turn.

When the sale began, the store was bathed in the soothing red glow of dusk and surrounded by trees whose red leaves had not yet fallen. A small, white cat-like thing stood on the sidewalk out front, while a customer at the counter chatted idly with Newell. It was pleasant.

Now, however, it's nighttime at the Steam Store. The streets are bathed in shadow. More worryingly, they're also apparently being overrun by writhing Cthulhu-esque horrors. The customer from earlier struggles in the grip of a giant black tentacle that's burst forth from the sewers, while in the background a squid-headed monstrosity looms. The white cat-thing—which is actually Baba, from Baba Is You—is still around, while up on the roof, a ninja-looking guy who we're pretty sure is Sekiro crouches, ready to leap into action. 

What does it all mean? Maybe nothing. My guess is that Valve is inserting elements from various games to spice things up as the sale progresses, although I can't put my finger on where the tentacle or the Cthulhu guy come from. Whatever's going on, a television on the wall behind Newell indicates that these are not isolated incidents, but the man himself seems remarkably unfazed by it all. 

We'll keep our eyes on the page and let you know if anything else changes. I suspect it will. The 2019 Steam Autumn Sale runs until December 3.

Update: Things have indeed changed. Sekiro has leapt into action, the tentacle has released its prey, the Ent (we're pretty sure it's the Ent from Remnant: From the Ashes) is wandering around but doesn't seem to actually be bothering anyone at this point, a couple of the Children of Morta (I think) have arrived, and Eris Morn is on the scene too. Baba, meanwhile, is still just sort of hanging around on the sidewalk, and Gabe Newell remains resolutely at his post. The man is a dedicated employee. 

Here's the original image for comparison:

(Image credit: Valve)
TOPICS
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Latest in Platforms
A screenshot from game Mudborne of a little humanoid frog in a marsh
Five new Steam games you probably missed (March 24, 2025)
midnight murder club
Five new Steam games you probably missed (March 17, 2025)
Screenshot of Children of Clay showing a mysterious clay model
Five new Steam games you probably missed (March 10, 2025)
discord
Brace yourself for Discord to get worse: Reports swirl that the company is in talks with bankers about opening itself up to shareholders
The Spy from Team Fortress 2 holds up a folder with an accusatory expression.
Steam users react ecstatically to update that lets them access their heaving game notes via the web, also it fixes Monster Hunter Wilds video recording
HasanAbi
Twitch streamer Hasan Piker suspended after saying Republicans would 'kill Rick Scott' if they really cared about Medicare fraud
Latest in News
Story of Seasons - A cahacter in a purple tuxedo stands outside in a town square talking to the player
Story of Seasons is doing another Harvest Moon remake and it might be the best the series has ever looked
Assassin's Creed Shadows change seasons - An upper-body shot of Yasuke looking cheerfully up into the distance.
Assassin's Creed Shadows puts up the 'second highest day-one sales revenue in Assassin's Creed franchise history'
A witch riding a broom sails past a Fish and Chips shop.
Cozy gamers rejoice: Witchbrook finally has a release window, and yes, you can fly around on a broom with your friends
starcraft 2 face
StarCraft fans taunted by the announcement of a new StarCraft... board game
kingdom come: deliverance 2 henry looks confused
'Medieval Batman' completes Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 pacifist playthrough with zero kills and 535 knockouts
SUQIAN, CHINA - OCTOBER 6, 2024 - Illustration Tencent's plan to buy Ubisoft, Suqian, Jiangsu province, China, October 6, 2024. (Photo credit should read CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Ubisoft and Tencent are forming a new company that will take control of its most successful franchises: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six