"Do as I say, not as I do": Valve breaks its own rules about the Deadlock game page on Steam

The company Valve, owner of Steam, has sparked controversy by violating its own formatting rules for the page of its new game Deadlock.

A developer using the alias 3DGlyptics drew attention to this infringement. He emotionally stated on social media: “This is not a joke. Valve is actively breaking its own rules.” The developer emphasized that the company bypassed the standard review process that is applied to other games on the platform.

ATTENTION VALVE SOFTWARE. YOU ARE VIOLATING YOUR OWN RULES FOR THE DEADLOCK STORE PAGE. ATTENTION VALVE SOFTWARE. ATTENTION VALVE SOFTWARE. ATTENTION VALVE SOFTWARE. ATTENTION VALVE SOFTWARE. ATTENTION VALVE SOFTWARE. ATTENTION VALVE SOFTWARE. ATTENTION VALVE SOFTWARE. ATTENTION. pic.twitter.com/jb73cqYyG2

— Ancient Egg ○ Wishlist ‣ B.C. Piezophile (@3DGlyptics) August 24, 2024

According to Steamworks documentation, developers are required to provide at least five screenshots of their product on the Steam page. However, the Deadlock page has no screenshots, featuring only a brief 22-second teaser instead.

A similar situation arose in March 2024 when, during The Orange Box sale, Valve added a sticker saying "winner of over 100 awards" to the header image on the Steam page. This contravened platform rules that prohibit displaying ratings, titles of awards, and “marketing messages about discounts” on graphic elements. In that instance, Valve employee Tom Giardino acknowledged the mistake and the company quickly rectified the violations.

Source: PCgamer