Developers can no longer force players to watch or engage with an advertisement in order to continue.
Valev has introduced new rules that ban games that require players to watch in-game advertisements to continue playing. For most players, it is a welcome change, albeit something many had not realized was already happening slowly in their games.
Valve bans games that require players to watch or engage in advertisements
In a new page under the Steamworks Documentation titled "Advertising on Steam," Valve will no longer allow games on its platform that force players to watch ads to continue playing.
The new section lists what’s allowed and not on the Steam platform. One notable standout is the prevention of developers using paid advertising as a revenue model.
Developers should not utilize paid advertising as a business model in their game, such as requiring players to watch or otherwise engage with advertising in order to play, or gating gameplay behind advertising. If your game's business model relies on advertising on other platforms, you will need to remove those elements before shipping on Steam. Some options you could consider include switching to a single purchase "paid app," or making your game free to play with optional upgrades sold via Microtransactions or Downloadable Content (DLC).
This business model is very common in mobile games, where players often have to watch through an advertisement or engage with the ads to proceed in the game. While this format is not prevalent in PC games, it is slowly catching on. Many game developers have started rolling out this particular business model to extract advertising revenue from players.
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What’s allowed in "advertising on Steam"?
Here’s what Valve permits in terms of advertisements on Steam. Valve clearly outlining the rules regarding advertising on Steam is a positive step forward not just for gamers, but also for developers and advertisers. Clear rules ensure that there’s no ambiguity regarding advertising policies and games can be sure not to run afoul of the Steam policies.
- Product Placement
- Games may contain real brands, products, personalities, etc., as part of gameplay, provided such portrayals are not disruptive and are appropriate within the context of the game. For example, a racing game might feature real-life sponsor logos on its race cars, or a skateboard game might include characters wearing real-world brands. Note that all developers must obtain the relevant permission and/or licenses for any copyrighted content contained in their games.
- Cross Promotions
- Developers can run many different kinds of cross-promotional activities on Steam, such as bundles, sale events, and more. Promotions may involve other Steam products or products/brands outside of Steam. These types of promotions are encouraged and many customers find value in them. However, under no circumstances is it okay to charge other developers to participate in a bundle or to sell access to a sale page or other page on Steam.
- Paid Advertising Outside Steam
- Developers may want to run paid advertising campaigns to drive traffic to their Steam product pages. We recommend taking advantage of Store Widgets and UTM Analytics to help enhance and measure the effectiveness of any off-Steam campaigns.
Game developers also cannot use advertising to provide value to players. This means players should not receive in-game rewards or unlocks for watching an advertisement.
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