Community MetaSteam | December 2025 - Cosmic Routine: Ninja Story from the Remastered Temple

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MARVEL Cosmic Invasion

After an unprecedented attack is launched across the galaxy, all life hangs in the balance. Nova, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Phyla-Vell, Captain America and many more heroes, both earth-born and cosmic, will join forces in a star-spanning brawling adventure against the deadly Annihilation Wave. From New York City to the depths of the Negative Zone, the future of the Universe will be fought for across the stars.​



SLEEP AWAKE

SLEEP AWAKE is an immersive first-person psychedelic horror narrative experience that explores the realm between sleep and death. From Blumhouse Games and led by Cory Davis (Spec Ops: The Line) and Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails), SLEEP AWAKE blurs the boundaries between reality and imagination.

In a desperate attempt to remain awake, the denizens of the last known city on Earth are reaching a panic crisis of reckless experiments in their effort to avoid The HUSH, the inexplicable disappearance of those who sleep.

Playing as Katja, you must survive the devotees of various depraved death cults and try to stay awake. Solve the puzzles of this mysterious world to shatter the horrors of the past.

In a unique setting, where an unfathomable phenomenon means that humans are disappearing when they fall asleep. The result is a warring world where dogmatic factions insist they have the one true solution for staying awake.​



Effulgence RPG

Effulgence RPG is a party-based, turn-based RPG where enemies are more than obstacles – they're raw material. Defeat creatures to break them into particles, then feed those particles into a matter printer to create weapons, gadgets and mechanisms. All of this plays out in a world built from shimmering text symbols arranged in 3D space.

Explore a stylized ASCII 3D globe of locations. Fight as a small squad in turn-based, party-focused combat. Break enemies into particles and print gear mid-run. Watch the world shift as text symbols reconfigure into new shapes and animations.

It's easy to transmit a video signal when you're just the distance of a satellite away. Go beyond the solar system and it may take hours to send a regular image to Earth. But when the signal comes from a galaxy a million light-years away, only fragmented symbols make it to us. Sometimes, they can be decoded and assembled into an animation made from text characters. Effulgence RPG imagines what happens when that signal is interactive – when you can walk inside the shimmering sea of symbols, and the creatures made of text don't intend to stay static.

This Early Access build is a vertical slice that will grow over time. The overall target is a 3-5 hour campaign with room for experimentation and replay.​



OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0

Experience a story of restoration and retribution over the divine rings-an epic saga that unfolds across the realm of Orsterra. You are the protagonist of the story. Choose your appearance, voice, motions, and favorite dish with the new character creation feature! Restore your hometown through town building. Invite companions and allies to live in a town of your creation!​



FEROCIOUS

Stranded on a deadly island, survival is all that matters.
Every step challenges you with savage predators, treacherous terrain, and limited resources.
Explore carefully to uncover hidden paths, secrets, and essential gear. Turn the wild to your advantage: control dinosaurs to attack enemies, open paths, or infiltrate guarded areas.
Every encounter is an opportunity - or a threat.​



ROUTINE

ROUTINE is a First Person Sci-Fi Horror title set on an abandoned lunar base designed around an 80s vision of the future. Curious exploration turns into a need for survival when a lunar base goes completely quiet. Searching for answers puts you face to face with an enemy who is certain the main threat is you. Discoveries lead to deeper unknowns and the only way to go is forward.​



American Truck Simulator - Louisiana

Discover the subtropical climate of the state which has provided the magnificent brooding scenery of the coastal bayous, and the lush, dank vegetation. Truckers can look forward to the beautiful and iconic landscape of this southern state, historical cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge, miles and miles of long stretching roads, and also the Mississippi River delta that has helped shape how the area looks today.​



Skate Story

You are a demon in the Underworld, made out of glass and pain. The Devil has given you a skateboard with a simple deal: Skate to the Moon and swallow it - and you shall be freed. Ollie, kickflip, and grind your way through the ash and smoke of The Emptylands as you take on a seemingly impossible quest. Learn to master your weight and motion to conquer the weeping concrete. Savour the ritualistic beauty as you set your feet to pop a perfect kickflip.

Skate fast to destroy vicious demons, help a forgetful frog, and save other tortured souls on your journey from fragile beginner to hardened skater. Push through hell and discover The Devil's greatest weakness: humility, perseverance, and a disgustingly sweet backside tailslide.

Skate through nine layers of The Underworld. Cruise through streets and surreal landscapes full of waxed ledges, unholy gaps, and tortured demons.​



Yakuza 0 Director's Cut

Fight like hell through Tokyo and Osaka entertainment districts as yakuza Kazuma Kiryu and cabaret club manager Goro Majima in an epic crime drama of intertwined fates that created legends.

Kiryu and Majima each have three unique fighting styles to dynamically switch between to creatively crack skulls with your fists, makeshift weapons and more.

Fighting isn't the only way to kill time in 1988 Japan: from discos and darts to classic SEGA arcades and cabaret clubs, there's endless distractions to pursue in the immersive, neon-lit city.

Director's Cut content gives deeper insight into key incidents and character backstories with never-before-seen cutscenes.​



UNBEATABLE

UNBEATABLE is an anime-juiced rhythm adventure where you (figuratively) destroy on stage while you (literally) destroy on stage. During rhythm gameplay, you only need two buttons: a button for up and a button for down. The pink-haired girl is Beat, and she is you, and you have a lot of things to worry about. The cops are everywhere, and they are mad at you for what feels like no good reason. Though it doesn't help your case that you keep making friends with people that the cops are mad at for slightly better reasons. Talk to people, help them out (or don't, I'm not your mom!), play huge concerts, and punch cops. And then run away from the cops you punched. Also there are monsters or something. The music got you here. It'll get you through it. All of this culminates in massive setpieces where everything is at stake.​



The Temple of Elemental Evil

An evil demoness founded a cult dedicated to exploring evil in its most elemental forms. This cult was based in a temple just outside the village of Hommlet in a vile shire known as Nulb. Soon, this cult ruled the region with tyranny; times of chaos and violence ensued. Hard-fought battles were waged and the war was eventually won by the good armies of nearby lands. The temple was razed, the villains were imprisoned, and order was restored. The temple itself faded into distant memory...until now.

Recently, bandits have begun patrolling the roads outside Hommlett and wicked forces are rumored to be afoot, converging on the ruined temple at Nulb. Their purposes for such meetings are as yet unknown. The identity of these people are equally a mystery. Some claim they are bent on slaying monsters and maintaining order within the region, but no one can be sure.

It is an adventure that will lead to the source of a deep and abiding mystery, to the very core of evil itself.​



The Last Ninja Collection + Bonus Games

The Last Ninja Collection brings together seven iconic titles for the first time, celebrating the golden era of retro gaming and the preservation of pioneering games from the '80s & '90s. The Last Ninja series is known for its innovative gameplay, memorable graphics, atmospheric music, and groundbreaking reviews that captivated gamers worldwide, setting a new standard for action-adventure games.

This collection includes The Last Ninja, Last Ninja 2, Last Ninja 3, Ninja Remix, International Karate, IK+ and Bangkok Knights. These games were milestones in the gaming industry, pushing the boundaries of technology and making them available to play on Windows PC. The Last Ninja was developed and published by System 3 in 1987, navigating through beautifully hand-crafted environments, solving puzzles, and engaging in combat. It was a global commercial and critical success, earning numerous awards, including 'Game of the Year,' 'Best 8-Bit Graphics,' and 'Best Music Soundtrack.' Last Ninja 2, developed and published by System 3, follows Armakuni's quest for vengeance in modern-day New York against the evil Shogun Kunitoki, featuring atmospheric, isometric environments and challenging gameplay. Last Ninja 3 received a perfect 100% review score, marking an unprecedented achievement. Ninja Remix enhances the original experience with new soundtracks, updated graphics, and gameplay tweaks.

International Karate (rebranded as World Championship Karate in the USA) was the first European game to top the Billboard charts on the C64, setting the standard for martial arts games. IK+ is a multi-award-winning sequel with improved graphics and gameplay, featuring a three-player mode. Bangkok Knights was the first fighting game to feature large, distinct characters, inspiring Street Fighter's development. These games represent a pioneering time for video games and for System 3, a games company founded in 1982 by Mark Cale. Preserving these games is crucial, not only for nostalgic reasons but also for understanding the roots of modern gaming and the legacy of System 3's contributions, including The Last Ninja series, which sold over 23 million copies across the trilogy and influenced action-adventure games for decades.​



BioMenace Remastered

Explore the original 3 episodes (36+ levels) plus a brand new 4th episode (15+ levels), spanning a range of diverse environments including cities, forests, underground caves, and secret high-tech labs. Rescue hostages and encounter a variety of dangerous enemies and hazards, putting your fighting and platforming skills to the test. Snake Logan is a top-secret operative for the CIA ordered to complete missions that others would regard as suicidal. One day, Snake is called into headquarters and briefed on a situation that has arisen in Metro City. It seems that thousands of monster-like creatures are on a rampage of destruction through the city. Many thousands have already died, and Metro has declared martial law just before losing all communications. Right before the city was overrun, authorities received a message from a man calling himself Dr. Mangle. He stated that Metro is to be an example of what will happen to the rest of the world unless all factions of government comply with his wishes. Snake is ordered to take a plane, fly recon over the city and then return. While circling over the area, he is suddenly attacked by some kind of laser weapon, and the plane loses engine power! He's forced to make an emergency landing and explore the ravaged city on foot. It's now up to Snake - and you! - to save any survivors, find the source of this destruction, and stop Dr. Mangle.​


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So are we saying Dragon Commander might get some love. Hell just spin off the light novel/dating sim bit. I wanted to be able to romance a skeleton again…

Also why not both. Here is our big game but won’t be ready for a few years and here is a remake of Divinity releasing in early access next year.
 
Every time I see those old educational point-and-click games be re-realeased, I keep thinking about the ones NightDive publishes. Like, they have to have some alternate version of their logo video for the little tyke games, right?

R-Type being alive and kicking is a bit wild. It's a shame I can't really enjoy it... I'm not down for stage memorization.
 
Wanted to try out Cave2Cosmos mod for Civ IV that I mentioned last page, and have to find out that I don't even have the game on Steam!
I checked GoG, also nope!

I think... I think I had it as a physical edition!
(bought it for 2,38€ on 3rd party site, but beyond the sword was not discounted, so have to wait for that (it basically goes on sale every 2 weeks)
 


People often attack Valve for all sorts of dumb reasons but this isn't one of them. This is genuinely unacceptable and the company deserves to be raked over the coals for bullshit like this.

Companies will never care because money is money, and "opinions" are "opinions". I think the only way to get a review removed is if it actually says something like "I'm going to kill this dev" or something similar (and don't expect journalists or sites to be any better, they also need the ad money from announcements and similar)
But users can do something!

Review the game, play the game, "game" the algorithm by making those shitty reviews fall into obscurity
 


People often attack Valve for all sorts of dumb reasons but this isn't one of them. This is genuinely unacceptable and the company deserves to be raked over the coals for bullshit like this.


Definitely. Valve should have removed the review and ban that person from writing reviews and comments on Steam. Really disappointed that they didn't.
 
People often attack Valve for all sorts of dumb reasons but this isn't one of them. This is genuinely unacceptable and the company deserves to be raked over the coals for bullshit like this.
I've reported the review. I'm encouraging everyone to do the same if you have 30 seconds to spare.

 


People often attack Valve for all sorts of dumb reasons but this isn't one of them. This is genuinely unacceptable and the company deserves to be raked over the coals for bullshit like this.


Not gonna make myself popular here, but I actually disagree, a statement like "Forcefed DEI Nonsense", while stupid, is distant from hatespeech.
The other statement potentially less so.

I'm certainly not a free-speech absolutist, but i do believe that's some base level garbage a public space should be able to withstand.

As far as that goes, there are vastly worse things that steam actually should remove, like those small nazi communities, that are actually harmful.
But i don't think these posts are good examples thereof.
 
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I'm certainly not a free-speech absolutist, but i do believe that's some base level garbage a public space should be able to withstand.

Why though? What utility and function does an "I don't like muslims" game review serve?
 
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More TGA rumors

I have to think Geoff is pretty unhappy about all this stuff leaking. The three gaming shows he puts on in the year (E3, Gamescom and TGAs) are basically his livelihood and their continued success depends on being able to get exclusive/surprising game reveals and trailers. There's a larger conversation to be had on why this industry operates with this level of secrecy when other entertainment mediums don't, but at the end of the day, the only reason people tune in to watch these shows is to find out what new games are coming out. Everything leaking beforehand must be hurting the show.

I'm certainly not a free-speech absolutist, but i do believe that's some base level garbage a public space should be able to withstand.

Again, this is another larger conversation but I feel like the idea of protected speech is pretty binary... either you have it or you don't. When one says "free speech... but with these exceptions...", you are giving someone else the power to decide what those exceptions are. And that can get very, very scary very quickly. In my country the government has performed raids on news houses and arrested journalists who were critical of them. The charges are usually things like sedition and invoking anti terror laws which means they can't get bail and can spend years in jail waiting for a trial. This is obviously the most extreme possible example but it is what can happen when someone with authority doesn't like what you say. This is why I think that one should lean as far as possible towards free speech absolutism. A bad video game review on Steam is nowhere close to the threshold we should have for what is not acceptable.

Honestly, the cynical part of me thinks this is just a way to get eyes on the game by drumming up controversy. The game has really great reviews already. These are just a couple of reviews out of 950 that nobody knew of and nobody would care about even if they had seen it. They have absolutely no potential to change the sales outcome of the game. They're not even on the front page and one would have to go looking for them in the negative reviews section to find them. My impression of Mike Rose is that he understands Steam better than a lot of developers and he would absolutely know that a developer fighting customers in reviews leads to nothing good. That he would deliberately choose to make these 2 reviews public when no one would have otherwise seen them makes me think that he knew exactly what he was doing.

Why though? What utility and function does an "I don't like muslims" game review serve?

I'm generally a big fan of Steam reviews. I like the idea that I can get an aggregate impression of a game from a lot of customers who bought it and then were passionate enough to share their thoughts and opinions about it. That said, one of the biggest criticisms of the Steam review system is that the signal to noise ratio is low and I think that's valid. If you actually want to get a good idea of a game through Steam reviews you have to wade through a lot of outdated information, meme reviews, template reviews, ascii art, chatgpt text, inside jokes and what not. Anyone who was seriously considering this game through the reviews would see these 2 reviews and immediately dismiss them. You're right that they don't add value to the review system but a lot of reviews don't either and you just have to filter them out. Generally speaking, the internet (and the world) is full of things you won't like and the best way to deal with it is to ignore them instead of hoping that it all gets sanitized. That's just never going to happen.

EDIT - Okay people online are framing this as if Valve company policy is to collectively hate Muslims. As if Gabe saw the review and thought, yes I hate Muslims too so he let it stay up. In reality what probably happened was a Steam moderator with hundreds of reports in their queue saw the text, decided it wasn't dangerous or whatever and moved on to the next one. It's entirely possible someone else will see it now since the reviews are getting reported and they'll remove it. I once had a review on Steam banned and the only thing I wrote in that review was "Don't buy this game". Who knows what the moderator was thinking when he decided it was worthy of ban.
 
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I'm generally a big fan of Steam reviews. I like the idea that I can get an aggregate impression of a game from a lot of customers who bought it and then were passionate enough to share their thoughts and opinions about it. That said, one of the biggest criticisms of the Steam review system is that the signal to noise ratio is low and I think that's valid. If you actually want to get a good idea of a game through Steam reviews you have to wade through a lot of outdated information, meme reviews, template reviews, ascii art, chatgpt text, inside jokes and what not. Anyone who was seriously considering this game through the reviews would see these 2 reviews and immediately dismiss them. You're right that they don't add value to the review system but a lot of reviews don't either and you just have to filter them out. Generally speaking, the internet (and the world) is full of things you won't like and the best way to deal with it is to ignore them instead of hoping that it all gets sanitized. That's just never going to happen.

In my opinion, context matters a lot. This isn't a situation of the government suppressing criticism and the free expression of its citizens, this is a game review with racist comments in it. There is no reason to tolerate something like that, no greater societal purpose that gets served by keeping it online. It's garbage and it needs to go.
 
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Well apparently the person who wrote the review edited it and added more nonsense so it's eligible for review by Steam moderators again. Maybe the next one to see it will ban it.

In other, better news, this classic released yesterday



This game was completely broken and hard as hell back in the day. I gave up on the game very early in my playthrough. This re-release apparently packages some overhaul mods to make it less buggy and playable on new hardware but at it's core it's still a very archaic and hard game. Steam reviews are mixed with people complaining about the same problems that bothered people 25 years ago.
 
DEI is always used as a replacement word for, well pick any racial slur, its just all encompassing, and I do think it should be treated as a racist word and thus should be grounds to get a review taken down. Steam really needs to start doing something about its nazi problem rather than keep going after pervy games. Mostly I just want Valve to shape up from a selfish reason, it has taken lots of effort and money to build my game library there and want to keep enjoying my time on steam.
 
I have to think Geoff is pretty unhappy about all this stuff leaking. The three gaming shows he puts on in the year (E3, Gamescom and TGAs) are basically his livelihood and their continued success depends on being able to get exclusive/surprising game reveals and trailers. There's a larger conversation to be had on why this industry operates with this level of secrecy when other entertainment mediums don't, but at the end of the day, the only reason people tune in to watch these shows is to find out what new games are coming out. Everything leaking beforehand must be hurting the show.
I think Geoff will be fine. Last year they got over 150 million people tuning in. Most people who don't follow gaming news closely might not even know about the pillar tease. Also there are probably still a number of games that haven't leaked yet. Not expecting something as big as Okami 2, but I'm looking forward to watching it.
 
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I think Geoff will be fine. Last year they got over 150 million people tuning in. Most people who don't follow gaming news closely might not even know about the pillar tease. Also there are probably still a number of games that haven't leaked yet. Not expecting something as big as Okami 2, but I'm looking forward to watching it.

Yeah, he will not live on the street just because some of his hyped games have leaked.
He is an overindulging snake oil salesman at worst and a willing non-confrontational industry PR mouth at best.
 
I have to think Geoff is pretty unhappy about all this stuff leaking. The three gaming shows he puts on in the year (E3, Gamescom and TGAs) are basically his livelihood and their continued success depends on being able to get exclusive/surprising game reveals and trailers. There's a larger conversation to be had on why this industry operates with this level of secrecy when other entertainment mediums don't, but at the end of the day, the only reason people tune in to watch these shows is to find out what new games are coming out. Everything leaking beforehand must be hurting the show.
What leaks? Have you seen full trailers, with release dates? I have not. All I saw were rumours and bits and pieces of what may be real reveals. That will only create more interest to see the real thing, not less. These are all effectively teasers, and effectively free PR.
 
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Most likely the next Total War game.
Hmm, it's already known that Total War is going to be in the game awards, but the teasing could maybe be about some of their classic IPs revival games (like Jet Set Radio/Crazy Taxi)? It's been a while since there's been any news about those games (other than Shinobi which already came out).
 
I would be way more excited for the Geoffs if Expeditions 33 wasn't nominated THREE FUCKING TIMES for best Voice Actor, when Konatsu Kato objectively deserves it more than anyone else in the history of this show but isn't gonna win it because of it

Why though? What utility and function does an "I don't like muslims" game review serve?

The utlitiy is that so called "Chuds" can warn other "Chuds" to avoid this game.
Which they are absolutely legally and morally in the right to, just as much as Muslims are allowed to recommend the game to each other over their representation.

Wanting to avoid games with muslims or pride flags, or whatever else in them is a completely valid choice any free person should be able to make, no matter how bigoted it is.

Furthermore, if you want corporations to decide what is and isn't bigotry , you are not just empowering them to deplatform "Chuds", you are also empowering them to deplatform said muslims, or LGBT users or anything else that is currently en vogue to hate. Ever since the Elon Musk take over, Twitter decided that the word "Cis gender" is a a bannable slur.

As such, i would prefer for corporations to be neutral on social politics.
They already have too much sway over politicans, states and economies.
You also want them to have a say in public discourse?

Just do what the law requires and remove the Hitler fanboys

DEI is always used as a replacement word for, well pick any racial slur, its just all encompassing, and I do think it should be treated as a racist word and thus should be grounds to get a review taken down. Steam really needs to start doing something about its nazi problem rather than keep going after pervy games. Mostly I just want Valve to shape up from a selfish reason, it has taken lots of effort and money to build my game library there and want to keep enjoying my time on steam.

You are absolutely right that DEI is used as a replacement or "dogwhistle", but the whole point of doing that is to use legal lingo in lieu of illegal or bannable one.
 
I would be way more excited for the Geoffs if Expeditions 33 wasn't nominated THREE FUCKING TIMES for best Voice Actor, when Konatsu Kato objectively deserves it more than anyone else in the history of this show but isn't gonna win it because of it



The utlitiy is that so called "Chuds" can warn other "Chuds" to avoid this game.
Which they are absolutely legally and morally in the right to, just as much as Muslims are allowed to recommend the game to each other over their representation.

Wanting to avoid games with muslims or pride flags, or whatever else in them is a completely valid choice any free person should be able to make, no matter how bigoted it is.

Furthermore, if you want corporations to decide what is and isn't bigotry , you are not just empowering them to deplatform "Chuds", you are also empowering them to deplatform said muslims, or LGBT users or anything else that is currently en vogue to hate. Ever since the Elon Musk take over, Twitter decided that the word "Cis gender" is a a bannable slur.

As such, i would prefer for corporations to be neutral on social politics.
They already have too much sway over politicans, states and economies.
You also want them to have a say in public discourse?

Just do what the law requires and remove the Hitler fanboys



You are absolutely right that DEI is used as a replacement or "dogwhistle", but the whole point of doing that is to use legal lingo in lieu of illegal or bannable one.
I agree that companies should stay far away from politics and be neutral, but stuff like racism could be moderated because most countries do have laws against that. Like they could add DEI to banned words because no one outside of them actually uses that word. The problem with chuds on steam is that they infect everything there, go into any discussion, forum, review with anything that involves anyone outside their accepted population and they are there spouting their shit. Not sure what else can be done about it other than moderation; because don't think it is really working as it is now, they are not only trying to signal to other chuds but they are also trying to bully everyone else.
 
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What leaks? Have you seen full trailers, with release dates? I have not. All I saw were rumours and bits and pieces of what may be real reveals. That will only create more interest to see the real thing, not less. These are all effectively teasers, and effectively free PR.

Fair enough. Like Cacher said, the number of people who even know about these leaks is probably a fraction of a percent of the total number of people who will watch so it's going to be a big surprise for most anyway.

Still surprised at the outright hostility Geoff manages to attract at this time of the year.

Found an interesting thread on reddit today. It's a Linkedin post by a former Valve employee who used to work on Steam discovery.

No, Game Discovery Actually Is Broken

It's a short piece so I'll just copy-paste the whole thing here;

I see studios going out of business because their games are failing to reach their target audiences. The discovery ecosystem is more broken now than I've ever seen it in my decades in the industry. (If you're a game developer reading this: it's not just you! You can do everything right and still fail. It really is bonkers.)

I've spent years in this area. I helped create Steam Labs at Valve to improve game discovery. I've brought Steam down (gracefully, honest) on a Wednesday to commit changes to it. I don't speak for Valve, but I have a reasonable understanding of this space. Steam's discovery (my meager contributions aside) is miles ahead of every other media platform, but I also think—and I say this with love—that that's like saying they're the tallest hobbit.

I want to challenge the assumption that many developers hold, that storefronts exist to promote discovery. They're actually the opposite—they're mostly beneficiaries of off-platform discovery. A storefront's primary purpose is to convert interest into purchase (and, for many storefronts like Steam, to allow them to play that purchase). Overwhelmingly, gamers learn about games elsewhere—historically in magazines and on gaming sites, and more recently through socials and video platforms (TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Discord, etc.).

I often see developers think about gamers as generally being on the hunt for new games. While that's true periodically (during seasonal sales with time-limited 80% off discounts, they become voracious hunters), most of the time, they aren't. I believe it was Newzoo that found that gamers spend about 130B hours a year watching video or socials, taking in the meta around games. They do this because it's good entertainment—and especially these days, discovery actually happens as a byproduct of this (i.e., "hey, I've heard of this game here and there; I should take a look"). Again, I have lots of love for the Steam team. They are awesome. But I'm going to throw them under the bus here:

Nobody browses Steam for fun.

Storefronts are built to be bottom of funnel: "You're interested in this game? Let's get you to the buy button." They're pretty bad at introducing the uninitiated consumer to new games. You can still browse and find things there, but I would think of them more like the lower floor of the Ikea, with the racks of all the boxes. As a shopper, you go there because you generally know what you want, and are picking it up. Good discovery is the Ikea showroom—everything's laid out, pleasantly and in context, and we just don't have that in games.

There's the old "Rule of Seven," that claims that a consumer need to encounter something about seven times before it clicks. Whatever the number, our brains are kinda wired to want to brush up against things lightly a few times and see if they catch. That's why socials/video play such a huge role in a game's success. Notwithstanding the fact that gamers will sometimes impulse-purchase during sales, they generally have to have been exposed to a game a few times before it sinks in. The Steam Store page is the factoid-dense polar opposite of that. When you point a user who's never heard of a game at this checkout aisle stage, they're more likely to bounce than to want to learn more. And that's true even if it's an ideal game for them!

Right now, there are over 15,000 games on Steam with 80%+ player review scores and 1000+ players, but which have not made enough money to recoup their development costs. We can show that putting more attention on these will yield more sales. And putting more attention on them specifically to the right audience will yield happy customers—we can tell this because revenue goes up and user reviews stay high. But storefronts generally expectg this attention to happen upstream; their job is to capture intent.

Based on the data, the outcomes, and what I've watched happen to tens of thousands of deserving games, and gamers who (as a whole) repeatedly say, "hey, how come I've never heard of this?", I absolutely agree with devs who feel that discovery is broken. At the risk of sounding like ChatGPT here:

Discovery ain't just the problem. It's THE problem.

The part that I highlighted in red text is what I found interesting. One of the big complaints of the "Valve doesn't deserve 30%" crew is that they don't do enough to promote games and give them visibility. I've not been able to identify a single other industry where the producer of a product has a serious expectation that the store selling that product will do the heavy lifting when it comes to marketing it and spreading the word. I don't know how that expectation fell on the companies that run gaming platforms.

In any case, it's a sobering read. It shows that discovery is not and will probably never be a solved problem. The only way it can work is if Valve heavily curate the store and that will be much worse for the PC gaming ecosystem overall. The thing that developers should take away from this is that they should absolutely be doing everything in their power to market their games themselves. Just putting it on Steam is not enough. It's difficult because marketing can very expensive but they need to figure out some way to get their games in front of people. As a side note, did you guys know that big streamers charge something like $10,000 per hour to promote a game? So when a big game comes out and you see 50 different Twitch streamers playing it on launch day, the company has spent a million dollars or more for those few hours of promotion. How a small indie developer is supposed to compete with that is complete mystery to me.