LogInEarlier this month, Eric Peterson, the representative of Valve's Steam Business Team, addressed the principles guiding game displays on Steam in a video released on the Steamworks Development YouTube channel. In this presentation, Peterson outlined two primary objectives that Valve aims to achieve within its digital store. The first objective is to assist users in discovering games that align with their preferences and interests. The second objective is to foster enduring relationships with both users and developers, focusing on building strong connections and partnerships within the gaming community.
"Our goal with Steam is to match games with the players who will love them. It's really important to us that players trust that, when they see a game when they come to the Steam store, it's relevant and interesting to them," said Peterson.
Peterson underlines Valve's firm stance on not selling placements in its store, emphasizing their belief that Steam should not operate on a pay-to-win basis. He reiterates the company's commitment to "level the playing field" for all games by refraining from selling ads to the highest bidder.
"We don't think Steam should be pay-to-win. Not selling ads levels the playing field and makes recommendations better for players," stated Peterson.
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Peterson also added that Valve does not manually select intriguing games to promote in their store. Instead, the company has implemented an automated system that identifies and promotes games based on player activity.
"Every week, Steam automatically picks up on games that we haven't even heard of, or games that we would've never predicted would be popular. Hit games are emerging organically, powered by what players are excited about. We think when we're surprised by a game, that's good. It's an indication that Steam is working properly," explained Eric.
Peterson also shed some light on the factors that mean nothing to Steam. Speaking of which, Valve's algorithmic promotion is not limited to a game's launch phase; it can occur at any point in its life cycle. Even if the initial launch does not go as planned, Valve does not make permanent decisions about a game, ensuring that older titles are not penalized. Store page traffic itself does not significantly impact player interest, but higher page views can lead to increased engagement with other factors that do matter.
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Review scores play a role in visibility, as long as a game maintains a minimum score of 40% positive (labeled as "mixed" reception or above). However, games with lower scores, categorized as "mostly negative" or below, could face some impact, as Valve is less likely to recommend a game that offers a negative experience. It's important to note that these implications only relate to direct algorithmic effects, as higher review scores naturally attract more attention.
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Wishlist numbers have an impact on the "popular upcoming" section before a game's release, but the pure number of wishlists does not directly affect visibility. Early Access releases do not drive visibility either, and Steam users have the option to filter out Early Access games entirely, as Early Access is primarily seen as a development tool rather than a marketing tool. Localization does influence visibility, as Valve is less likely to recommend games to users who do not utilize the languages supported by the game.
In the video, Peterson not only discussed the principles of Steam but also provided specific examples to demonstrate where and how games that capture audience attention are featured on the platform.
Some more news on Valve, recently the company has acknowledged that certain game developers' Steam accounts were compromised, leading to the insertion of malware into their games. Though the number of affected games and installations was relatively low, Valve promptly responded to address the issue and resolve the situation.
For more details, you can watch the video and check the presentation shared by Valve. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.