Technology

Valve drastically changes the rules for showcasing games on Steam

Valve has updated its rules regarding the presentation of games on its Steam online store. From now on, it is no longer allowed to display an image highlighting notes or even achieved rewards. A way to clarify the store and prevent abuse.

When you browse the Steam store, it’s common to come across visuals of games that brag about their merits in their visuals. We often have the endorsements of specialized sites next to the title or mentions of awards won here and there. From 1 Sept. this kind of practice will no longer be allowed.
Valve has indeed updated its policy. To present a game, it now requires a clear view, with only the title of the game in question. Subtitles and mentioning new content are allowed, but no more.

Valve changes the rules for presenting games

This new policy could penalize small developers that emphasize just the right notes to stand out. Valve indicates that this data will not disappear from the platform, as it will be displayed on the game page. On its official website, Valve writes: “We have noticed that the graphical resources provided by the development teams have for some time now included more text, assigning logos and even rating scores.

For example, some game logos have become so small that it is difficult becomes to know which game it is. In other cases, graphics asset images are covered with award-winning logos and ratings that make reading so difficult that they make reading difficult.”

Then add the language argument, which is perfectly legitimate: “We also find that these texts added to the images are in most cases in English, which excludes a large part of the Steam customers who do not speak this language.” In all cases, this is a change that should not penalize the user too much, but that should change the lives of some developers who rely on the quality of their title to entice. We’ll have to find other ways to stand out in steam that’s full of gold nuggets.