Team Fortress 2 community earns $2 million through in-game market

Last year Valve introduced microtransactions to its well-regarded online multiplayer shooter Team Fortress 2 via the Mann Co. in-game store, which lets gamers spend real-world cash on in-game items as well as design and sell their own creations.

One year since the introduction of Mann Co., Valve has revealed that Team Fortress 2 community creators have collectively earned $2 million from selling their in-game designs.

To celebrate, Valve has announced the first annual "Manniversary Update and Sale," which will see several new features added to the game.

The first is the introduction of Steam Workshop, an improved item submission system that will be fully integrated with the Steam community and will let community item-creators test, share, and track the status of their creations. According to Valve, the entire TF2 community will also be allowed to participate by browsing, rating, and offering feedback on all submitted items.

In addition, the update will include 30 new hats and cosmetic items, an item decal system, weeklong try-before-you-buy item tryouts, loadout presets, multiple miscellaneous item slots, improved game performance, and a new taunt.

Valve also revealed that "almost" everything in the Mann Co. in-game store will be on sale until Monday, October 17.