Valve implementing new rules to 'refine' Steam store page written descriptions

Valve is imposing new restrictions on written Steam store page content to ensure developers are only sharing relevant information.

The company says some developers are using store pages to "present information or links" that distract from learning about games themselves, making it "challenging" for consumers to make educated purchasing decisions.

"We want players to be able to learn about your game! And so, to make for a more positive experience on Steam (for devs and players), we're introducing new rules beginning in September," reads a blog post.

"We'll be enforcing new rules for what can and cannot be included in your written store page descriptions. We know that changes to written game description sections can be disruptive and may take time to update."

The new rules will apply to the 'About The Game,' 'Short Description,' 'Special Announcement,' and 'Awards' sections of store pages. They will prevent developers from using those sections to link to other websites (including social media pages); embedding imagery that mimics Steam store UI or buttons; and including images, links, or widgets pointing to other Steam releases.

Heading off potential concerns, Valve notes that developers can already use specific link fields to promote their social media channels or website and plug other related products by creating bundles, franchises, or developer homepages on Steam.

Act now—or Valve will act for you

Developers will have until September to tweak their store pages before Valve automatically amends relevant content. Further outlining its decision making process, Valve says the new restrictions are also designed to nix rampant cross-promotion.

"We have been seeing more and more store pages that are effectively advertisements for other store pages on Steam. This meant that on some game pages in the Steam store, you would find lists of 2, 3, or even 8 other games before you even got to read the description of the game you were looking at," continues Valve.

"We don't think that's great for customers trying to learn about a game on Steam and so we wanted to update the rules to prohibit games from using the written description area for linking to other games on Steam."

It also believes the new rules will help refine the use of 'prologue' apps, making them less confusing for consumers. "We've seen developers doing novel things on Steam to help build an audience though a separate app that most call a 'prologue'. In these examples, developers are buying a secondary appID and releasing it as a stand-alone free game to promote the upcoming release of their full premium game," adds the company.

"This has been fine with us, but we've seen a few ways that it causes confusion for players and unnecessarily requires devs to pay a second app fee. With a few changes to how demos work, we can replicate the positive benefits of a separate 'prologue' while also creating a tighter connection between the two entities so that customers are clear on how to learn more about the full game and to wishlist the correct thing.

"The changes already made to demos should make it unnecessary for developers to purchase a separate appID to use for prologues, and can instead use the demo appID that is already associated with their game."

Valve has rolled out a number of Steam tweaks this year. In April, the company updated the Steam refund policy to cover 'advanced access' playtime. It also altered the image requirements for store pages and launched a new Steam chart to track the performance of Steam Deck titles.