Steam simplifies social media linking after aggressive API updates

Valve has announced that it's making it easier for developers on Steam to link to social media accounts on game pages. In a short blog post, the company notified developers that it has "removed the cumbersome authentication loop" for adding links to social media pages.

Developers can now drop a link to their various profiles in a set of simple text fields. The tool still only supports specific platforms like Discord, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and X (formerly Twitter). Growing platforms like TikTok, BeReal, Mastodon, Threads, BlueSky, and Cohost do not have any official presence.

Before you rush to your game's back end to make sure your social media profiles are fully updated—relax. Valve stated that it has already backfilled existing social media pages. You only need to update your profile if you intend to add new platforms.

Major changes in social media API terms of service drove Valve to update its linking system

What would normally be a humdrum update for Steam takes on new meaning when you scrutinize the context for Valve's move. In its post, the company stated that its original API-based tool was developed for the Steam Curator system, and was intended to display follower numbers for the associated accounts.

This was meant to help curation communities build trust and authority with Steam users. The tool was retrofitted to benefit developer store changes.

The eyebrow-raising context came when Valve explained why it made the change. "As social media platforms have evolved, so too have their APIs for connecting their services in order to perform the authentication loop," it wrote. "Recent evolutions of these social media platform APIs have included changes to their accompanying terms of service that we were no longer comfortable agreeing to."

No individual platforms were specified. But API updates for platforms like X and Reddit have drawn headlines for how they increase fees for developers, crack down on data-crawling access to power AI models, and restrict access to open-source third-party apps.

Valve didn't state which of these (or other) terms of service updates impacted its decision, but it's noteworthy it chose to prioritize developer access over Curator authority. "This update removes social media linking from Steam Curators since we no longer have a way to link in a trustworthy way, but it makes it much easier for developers to link and update social media links on their store pages," it concluded.