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Valve is clamping down on how developers and publishers use images to promote their games on Steam. With the imminent Discovery Update 2.0 store listings must use actual screenshots, not artwork or alike, in the screenshot section. The aim is to make it easier for customers to identify what the actual game is like, which can be difficult when non-screenshots are used.
Gamasutra obtained the guideline notes about the changes which are being sent out to developers, detailing two specific actions regarding screenshots.
1. If you have a game that contains mature content, please indicate which of your screenshots (if any) are appropriate for a broader audience.
2. Regardless of the content in your game, please make sure that images uploaded to the ‘screenshot’ section of your store page are actually screenshots of your game.
Regarding request 2, Valve admits it too needs to update it game pages in order to comply with the changes.
“Dota 2 is an example of where we were doing it wrong ourselves. We’re now in the process of updating Dota 2 to use screenshots of the game rather than artwork,” reads the developer letter.
The changes don’t appear to apply to game videos, meaning the recent issue with No Man’s Sky using its pre-rendered 2014 gameplay trailer to promote the title would not be prevented.
Source: Gamasutra
