Valve is making a big change to the way developers can market their games on Steam. Starting September 1st, graphics used by developers in their store listings will only be allowed to include game artwork, the game name, and any official subtitles. Images may not include review scores, award names or logos, text marketing discounts, or text promoting a different product.
The new rules could prove to be a drastic change for some developers, as they may rely on reviews or awards for their images to try to stand out from the vast amount of games available on Steam. Even some well-known game developers will have to make changes; while I was writing this article, I saw promo images for Hades and It Takes Two on Steam that featured awards.
Here’s Valve’s reasoning for the changes, based on a blog post:
Our goal is to make it as clear and simple as possible for customers to find games to buy and play on Steam. Recently, we’ve seen game developers include more text, award logos, and even review scores in their graphic asset images. This made us realize that our guidelines have not been as clear as they should be. As a result of not having clearly defined rules, we’ve seen additions to graphic assets that are creating a confusing and sometimes even inaccurate experience for customers.
For example, some game logos have become so small that players have a hard time telling what the game’s name is. In other cases, graphic asset images are so cluttered with logos and award ratings that they’re distracting and hard to read. Some capsules include review scores that are no longer accurate. We also see that in most cases this additional text about assets is only presented in English, isolating much of Steam’s non-English speaking audience.
And Valve argues that reviews, ratings and awards have dedicated places on Steam store pages where developers can still include that information. But you might not see them if you’re just browsing Steam looking for something new to play.
These awards must be removed from the It Takes Two image. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge
Valve doesn’t completely ban text on assets; you can still include a game’s title or subtitle, and in an example from the blog post, the company encourages using text in artwork to promote a new update or content for your game. But any text you include will need to be localized to the languages your game supports. You can read Valve’s full documentation here.
This isn’t the first time Valve has set a mandate with far-reaching ramifications for developers. In 2018, after some controversy over which games should and shouldn’t be allowed on Steam, Valve said it would allow “everything” on the store, except “things we decide are illegal”. legal or trolling directly”. Valve has also since banned blockchain games and NFTs. But the company has worked to improve its recommendations to help you see smaller titles that you might like, which could help you see something new while you’re looking for your next game.