Since this week is one of the biggest holidays of the year, people expect a number of sales and discounted prices from retailers. Rumor has it that one of the biggest names in the gaming industry, Valve, will be having a Steam Winter Sale, and it will start today.

While Valve and the Steam management still have to confirm the details, observers like CNET already reported previously that the rumored Steam Winter Sale seems to be true, basing their reports on a supposed leak from third-party PayPal.

Reportedly, the website came out with a promotional video highlighting the event, with the sale starting Dec. 22. The sale is expected to start at 1 p.m. ET. While there is no end date indicated in the footage, the industry follower surmised that the sale may go on until the New Year as it is Steam's custom to hold big event sales for at least a week.

The leaked footage was also supported by a previous report from Shack News. According to the industry follower, its previous observations of Steam's season sales were spot on, getting the estimated start date (Nov. 22) right for the Steam Fall Sale, deducing that the Steam Winter Sale will start today until at least Jan. 4.

The industry observer also added that as with the previous Steam Fall Sale, gamers and interested buyers should not expect daily deals and flash sales happening during the event period. Allegedly, Valve has changed it marketing plans for future major sales events, and game publishers and developers in the Winter Sale will just be submitting a general discount rate per title, the price tag of which would then be in use all throughout the sales period.

Other big-name retailers such as the Xbox Store and PlayStation Network will also be running their own major sales events. Xbox Store's so-called "Countdown Sale" starts Dec. 22 to Jan. 7.