Valve has introduced a new feature aimed at enhancing transparency for users exploring Steam Early Access titles. This update, recently identified by SteamDB, provides a warning message that appears prominently at the top of the Early Access developer Q&A section. This message informs potential buyers about the last time the game received an update, thereby allowing them to make more informed purchasing decisions.
Details of the Update
In a move to bolster communication between developers and players, Valve has also made adjustments to Steamworks to reflect this change. The company stated, “If it has been more than 12 months (one year) since the developers of a game have updated the game and posted an ‘update’ type event to tell players about it, Steam will add a note to the store page, just above the Developer Questionnaire letting players know that the game has not updated in a while.”
This new notification will be triggered under two specific conditions:
- It has been more than 12 months since a build has been assigned to the ‘default’ branch in Steamworks.
- It has been more than 12 months since the developer has posted an ‘update’ type event, communicating to players about the update. This includes all three ‘update’ type events: Major Update, Regular Update, or Patch Notes.
For years, the Early Access platform has seen its fair share of projects that developers have abandoned, leaving players in the lurch. With this new feature, Valve aims to mitigate the uncertainty surrounding such titles, fostering a more reliable environment for gamers and developers alike.
