Valve Strikes Down On Developers By Banning Steam Games Making Use Of In-Game Ads

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Over the past several years, the use of advertising within video games, often referred to as ‘in-game ads’, has become quite common, particularly in free-to-play (F2P) games for mobile devices. This trend has expanded into more traditional games and even F2P PC games. However, Valve is taking steps to address this by updating its rules and prohibiting specific forms of in-game advertising on Steam.

Valve has unveiled fresh rules aimed at penalizing developers who incorporate in-game ads that form part of their earning strategy. This update was outlined in a recent Steamworks post, where Valve has reconsidered its advertising tactics on their platform to ensure user protection and deliver an optimal experience for Steam users.

As per the blog post by Valve (Steamworks), they’ve clarified that certain guidelines will allow in-game advertisements, including cross-promotions such as bundles, sales events, and items outside the Steam marketplace. However, it’s important to note that under no circumstances is it acceptable for developers to charge their peers for participation in a bundle or to sell access to a sale page or other pages on Steam.

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An additional guideline is enabling developers to run paid advertisements outside of the Steam platform, where they can direct traffic towards their Steam product pages utilizing tools such as Store Widgets and UTM Analytics. Furthermore, product placements on Steam are acceptable, particularly within gaming titles that incorporate real-world elements like brands, products, personalities, and so on, as these elements are integral to gameplay. However, the representations of these items should not interfere with the game’s experience and must be suitable within the context of the game itself.

Valve clarified that they are adhering to a specific approach in their business strategy, where games that force players to watch or interact with advertisements as a prerequisite for playing, or restrict access to gameplay through advertising, will not be permitted. If such ads appear on platforms other than Steam, Valve expects developers to eliminate these features prior to launching the game on Steam.

Developers might explore different strategies too, such as transforming the game into a standalone, one-time purchase application or releasing it free-to-play, offering extra features like DLCs (Downloadable Content) or microtransactions for additional costs. Additionally, Valve emphasized that developers should not impose fees on fellow creators for access to features such as game bundles, franchise expansion, web pages for games, and promotional sale pages within Steam.

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2025-02-12 20:13