Steam is the number one destination for digital PC games, so its support of Linux is key, but official support for Ubuntu is set to end with the release of Ubuntu 19.10.
As Engadget reports, news of support being dropped was made official by Pierre-Loup Griffais, a developer at Valve, by way of a tweet.
Ubuntu 19.10 and future releases will not be officially supported by Steam or recommended to our users. We will evaluate ways to minimize breakage for existing users, but will also switch our focus to a different distribution, currently TBD.
— Pierre-Loup Griffais (@Plagman2) June 22, 2019
The reason for support being dropped is due to Canonical's decision to cease 32-bit updates in the operating system. It was originally reported that support for 32-bit applications was ending in Ubuntu, but as OMG! Ubuntu! reports, Canonical has since clarified that updates are being dropped, not support, and that the i386 libraries will simply be frozen going forward.
As Griffais' tweet explains, Valve will attempt to minimize breakages when support ends, but Ubuntu users may end up with Steam games that no longer work correctly. However, there is the option of switching to an alternative Linux distribution which continues to support 32-bit updates, be that just for gaming or as a complete switch away from Ubuntu. It will be annoying to do so, but at least there's no cost involved. Valve will also be a guide as it intends to focus on an alternative Linux distribution, which will be revealed in the near future hopefully.
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