Gamasutra Expert Blogs: From building Square Enix Montreal to getting games on Steam

[In highlights from Gamasutra's Expert Blogs, industry notables write about diverse topics, including how Square Enix Montreal's GM built the new studio, tips from Valve for getting games on Steam, and more.] In our weekly Best of Expert Blogs column, we showcase notable pieces of writing from members of the game development community who maintain Expert Blogs on Gamasutra. Member Blogs -- also highlighted weekly -- can be maintained by any registered Gamasutra user, while the invitation-only Expert Blogs are written by development professionals with a wealth of experience to share. We hope that both sections can provide useful and interesting viewpoints on our industry. For more information about the blogs, check out the latest official posting guidelines. Here are the top blogs for the week: This Week's Standout Expert Blogs The 'gratitude update': Connectrode 2.0 (Shay Pierce) Even when you really want to move on to your next project, spending time giving back to the people who supported you is important. Shay Pierce has just released Connectrode version 2.0: a "Gratitude Update" to the community who supported me. Molleindustria's Unmanned: Excellence through boredom (Greg Costikyan) Unmanned is a boring game. This is not a criticism; it's part of the point. The slowness and tedium of the game says something about drone warfare, but also about the lives we lead, and what we've lost by relying on telepresence at both work and home. Story design tips: 6 ways to be subversive without anyone noticing (Guy Hasson) Want to get some things under the radar? Here's how. Building a new studio: Square Enix Montreal (Lee Singleton) Square Enix Montréal is a newly announced studio working on a new Hitman game. As GM, Le Singleton is tasked with setting up the studio for success. What does this involve? Tips for getting your game On Steam (from Valve, no less)! (Scott Tykoski) Scott Tykoski recently had the opportunity to chat with some Valve representitives about the process of game selection and what the average indie developer can do to nail their submission.