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Steam bans awards and rating symbols

"It's our goal to make it as clear and straightforward as possible for customers to find games to buy and play on Steam."

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We've all seen it, lots of times. How developers, of course, use various awards to sell their game. "Game of the Year Edition" or "10/10 - Gamereactor" are not uncommon to find on various game covers but according to the Valve-owned Steam, this is now not allowed and makes digital game product pages confusing. So, now they're banned. Logos, award symbols, rating logos and all those sorts of thing are hereby banned on Steam and this is announced via this informational text:

New Rules For Graphical Asset Capsules
"It's our goal to make it as clear and straightforward as possible for customers to find games to buy and play on Steam. Recently, we've noticed more text, award logos, and even review scores being included by game developers in their graphical asset images. This made us realize our guidelines haven't been as clear as they should be. As a result of not having clearly-defined rules, we've seen additions to graphical assets that are creating a confusing and sometimes even inaccurate experience for customers. For example, some game logos themselves have become so small that it's hard for players to tell what the name of the game is. In other cases, graphical asset images are so cluttered with award logos and ratings that it is distracting and hard to read. Some capsules include review scores that are no longer accurate. We also see that in most cases this additional text on assets is presented in English language only, isolating much of the Steam audience that doesn't speak English. We understand that developers want to communicate with their players about the quality of their games, and Steam already has spaces on game store pages to present most of this information. Press review quotes, press review scores, and special awards each have dedicated spaces on Steam store pages where it can be presented consistently and where customers can expect to find that information."

Content on base graphical asset capsules on Steam is limited to game artwork, the game name, and any official subtitle. For clarity, this means:


  • No review scores of any kind, including Steam reviews or external news sources

  • No award names, symbols, or logos

  • No discount marketing copy (eg. no "On Sale Now" or "Up to 90% off" text)

  • No text or imagery promoting a different product. This includes no marketing of sequels or other titles in the same franchise.

  • No other miscellaneous text

A bit crazy, we think here at Gamereactor.

Steam bans awards and rating symbols


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