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Steam reviews tweaked again to highlight feedback from Steam key users

Valve has made some more tweaks to its Steam game reviews after some developers expressed concern at the last set of changes.

Chris Kerr, News Editor

September 21, 2016

1 Min Read
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Valve has made some more tweaks to its Steam game reviews after some developers expressed concern at the last set of changes. 

The previous update saw Valve alter the review system so any feedback from players using Steam keys wouldn't count toward's a game's overall or most recent review scores. 

Valve said it was forced to implement the change to halt the influx of fraudulent reviews being submitted by devs trying to boost their review scores. 

Some smaller developers, however, were caught in the crossfire by the change-up -- with those who'd dished out legitimate keys through Kickstarter or third-party stores suffering the most. 

With that in mind, Valve has modified its own default review settings to better display the "helpful, articulate reviews written by customers that obtained the game outside of steam."

"Starting today, the review section on each product page will show reviews written by all users, regardless of purchase type," reads a Steam blog post.

"By default you'll now see reviews written by all players of the game, including Steam customers, Kickstarter backers, bundle customers, streamers, and other users that acquired the game outside of Steam."

Despite those changes, the review scores themselves will remain untouched, and will continue to be calculated based purely on reviews submitted by customers who purchase their games via Steam. 

Valve says it's also working on some "longer-term updates," and plans to adjust the system again "to better identify and highlight helpful reviews while hiding or lowering the prominence of unhelpful reviews."

For a full breakdown of the latest changes, head on over to the Steam blog.

About the Author

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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