Steam retailer pages should present actual screenshots transferring ahead – not optimistic promotional supplies.
Steam builders have been notified of a brand new requirement for product pages: actual screenshots.
Valve made the gently-worded request in a developer-facing Steamworks publish, which was shared on Facepunch and proven to Polygon, amongst others.
“We ask that any images you upload to the ‘screenshot’ section of your store page should be screenshots that show your game,” the developer wrote.
“This means avoiding using concept art, pre-rendered cinematic stills, or images that contain awards, marketing copy, or written product descriptions. Please show customers what your game is actually like to play.”
Valve identified that builders produce other slots on Steam product pages for non-screenshot supplies, and made good by itself guidelines by tidying up the Dota 2 Steam product web page to point out screenshots quite than character artwork.
As for why that is occurring now, Valve stated it hasn’t been “super crisp” on pointers up to now, and determined to “clarify some rules”.
“When the ‘screenshot’ section of a store page is used for images other than screenshots that depict the game, it can make it harder for customers to understand what the product is that they are looking at,” Valve stated.
“Additionally, we’re going to start showing game screenshots in more places, and these images need to be able to represent the game.”
There are loads of video games on Steam with idea artwork, wallpapers and different promotional supplies in screenshot slots, however after all given the timing everybody has narrowed in on No Man’s Sky.
The promotional No Man’s Sky screenshots distributed far and vast, together with on the Steam product web page, present a couple of issues no one has ever present in recreation. The false advertising case against No Man’s Sky just about calls them bullshots, exhibiting off a greater high quality of graphics than even tremendous rigs can get hold of.
At time of writing the No Man’s Sky steam product page had not been up to date with new screenshots, however then once more it’s unlikely many builders have actioned Valve’s newly clarified guidelines but. (Boy, I want I hadn’t wandered over there, truly. Recent Steam consumer opinions are “overwhelmingly negative”. Ouch.)
There’s a protracted custom of bullshots in video video games advertising. Trailer stills and idea artwork posted as screens are essentially the most egregious examples, however they’re additionally often fairly simple to identify. More insidious is the apply of touching screens up in publish, which fits over most onlookers’ heads. It’d be cool to see an influential platform holder like Steam come down on the latter apply, however don’t maintain your breath; it’d be nearly not possible to implement.
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