As fans, sometimes there are limited options for products and collectibles based on video games to choose from. This can lead to builders and creators to take matter into their own hands, but with the risk of getting sued by the owner’s of the properties. Thanks to a new partnership between Valve and 3D printing service Shapeways, fans of Valve properties can create and sell products worry free.

Shapeways is a 3D printing service that allows people to upload their 3D models and have them printed and shipped to customers. The company has entered into a partnership with Valve which will let creators design, print, and sell items pertaining to any of Valve’s intellectual properties, including DOTA, Portal, and Half-Life. The agreement also covers making hardware mods for items such as the Steam Controller.

Shapeways announcement reads:

We’re incredibly excited to announce that, thanks to a first-of-its kind program, Valve and Shapeways are partnering up to empower our communities of creators to make and sell 3D printed, gamer-created merchandise and accessories based on Valve’s games and hardware.

Starting today, you can take advantage of a new Valve licensing agreement on Shapeways. This will not only allow you to create merch around any of Valve’s games and game assets, but also mods and accessories for hardware like the Steam Controller and Steam Link.

For Shapeways designers, this means that the Valve and Steam game communities will now have access to your products, and you can advertise and promote your Valve-related products anywhere you like.

For Valve games’ fans and Steam hardware users, we’re here to help you take your fan art into the physical world, whether you’re just learning to design for 3D printing, or have a whole set of heroes ready to bring to life.

But the really revolutionary part of this partnership is how easy it is for you to licence your products. You just upload your model to your shop (as always, make sure to use tags and accurate descriptions to make sure shoppers can find you), and you will automatically be prompted to opt in. You’ll have the option to opt out of the license if you get the prompt in error.

Once you opt in, you’re good to go. No other approvals needed. No takedowns, no missed revenue. We’ll automatically deduct a 10% royalty from sales of merchandise connected to the game franchises and send them to Valve. No royalties are deducted on accessories developed for Steam hardware. And that’s it!

This is a way for creators to design and sell items that wouldn’t normally be sold in stores. Rightly so, Valve will still get a portion of the sales, and the creators get to adjust their prices to compensate. As a fan that doesn’t have the means to create a figure of their favorite DOTA 2 character, one could simply contact a creator to design a 3D model and have it made. It’s a win/win for everyone.

Creators are free to upload and sell already, so you might just find that perfect collectible that you’ve been searching for? What are your thoughts on the Shapeways and Valve partnership. Do you think other companies should follow suit and give people a shot at creating and selling their own versions of merchandise? Let us know in the comments section below. Be sure to follow DFTG on Twitter to stay up to date on the hottest news in gaming and entertainment via our 24/7 live news feed.