Steam Introduces New Guidelines for Store Page Descriptions

Valve has announced new regulations for Steam store page descriptions, prohibiting the inclusion of external links within the descriptions. This change aims to prevent developers from diverting users' attention away from the game itself by including links to other websites, social media, or even other games on Steam. The updated guidelines also restrict the use of embedded images that mimic Steam's user interface or buttons. These new rules will apply to four key sections of each store page, including the 'About the game', 'Short description', 'Special announcements', and 'Awards' sections, and will come into effect in early September. According to Valve, this move is in response to the growing trend of developers using store pages as advertisements for other games, resulting in a less-than-ideal experience for customers. The company believes that by updating these rules, they can improve the overall user experience and make it easier for customers to find the information they need about a game. Additionally, these changes are part of a broader effort by Valve to refine the way demos are handled on Steam, including the introduction of standalone store pages for demos. This change also addresses the issue of 'prologue' games, which were causing confusion among players and requiring developers to purchase separate appIDs. With the updated rules, developers can now create prologue games using the demo appID, streamlining the process and reducing confusion.