The presence of advertising as a monetization model is a common practice in mobile games, where players often must watch ads to progress or unlock content. However, Valve has decided to take steps to prevent this trend from reaching PC games on Steam., prohibiting any mechanism that forces players to watch advertising in order to play or improve their experience.
This new policy responds to the growth of this type of practice in the field of computer video games, where some developers have begun to implement models similar to those of mobile devices. Valve has updated its Steamworks documentation to clarify the boundaries of advertising within the platform and ensure that games published on your store meet these requirements.
Advertising in Steam games: what's allowed and what's not
According to the new guidelines established by Valve, developers who publish games on Steam They can include advertising within their game, as long as it does not interfere with gameplay or condition the player's progress. This includes aspects such as Product placement or cross promotions between games from the same studio.
However, Valve has been adamant in stating that will not allow practices where players are forced to watch ads to unlock content or progress through a game. This includes mechanics that are very common in mobile games, such as:
- Require viewing ads to obtain coins or other resources.
- Offer special rewards only to those who interact with advertising.
- Delaying player progression or blocking essential features until an advertisement has been viewed.
In addition, the company has clarified that developers will not be able to charging other studios to appear in promotional spaces within Steam, such as deals pages or store sections.
Alternatives for monetizing games on Steam
Understanding that many titles, especially free-to-play games, need alternative revenue streams, Valve has suggested to developers explore different business models. Among the options mentioned are:
- Make the game a one-time purchase.
- Include optional microtransactions.
- Offer downloadable content (DLC) with improvements for players.
The company stresses that if a game already existing on other platforms depends on advertising as a source of income, its creators must Modify it before releasing it on Steam, eliminating any mechanics that condition the player's experience to the viewing of ads.
Another step towards consumer protection
Valve has already implemented in the past Different measures to improve transparency in your storeRecent examples include a requirement to indicate if an Early Access game has been without updates for more than a year or the need to report if a title uses kernel-level anti-cheat.
The ban on forced advertising is another effort along these lines, with the aim of Avoid abusive business models and ensure that games available on Steam provide a fair experience for players.
Although there are still challenges such as the control of low-quality games in the store, the decision of veto this type of advertising It is seen as a positive step towards keeping the platform free from intrusive business practices.
Image: DALL-E.