It turns out that Valve does pay attention to what goes on in Greenlight from time to time. This week, the creators of indie game store, ‘Itch.io', were trying to get an app for the store pushed through Steam Greenlight but they were stopped in their tracks last night after being contacted by Valve, who informed them that they don't support certain types of non-game software on Steam right now.
While Itch.io could be seen as a competitor to Steam, Valve's message doesn't make it sound like this was the main reason for it being rejected from Greenlight. Valve's official notice on the matter says: “This item is incompatible with Greenlight”. The message was shared by one of Itch.io's creators over on Twitter.
“Hello, Thank you for your interest in Steam. We'd like to be able to continue supporting a variety of types of non-game software on Steam, but the reality is that we're finding that we just don't have the tools and processes to handle many types of non-gaming software very well right now.”
The letter then goes on to say that currently, Valve only supports a few valid categories for non-game software on Steam, including: “Animation & Modeling, Audio Production, Design & Illustration, Photo Editing and Video Production”.
“We'd like to accept more kinds of software on Steam, but right now we need to focus on a smaller scope until we have better tools and processes in place.”
KitGuru Says: It isn't too surprising to hear that Valve doesn't currently support additional stores launching as apps on Steam. Perhaps one day Steam will embrace platform inception but it won't be happening too soon, if ever.
I bought a game on steam once called farcry 3.
When I click to play it, it launches U-PLAY, ubi-softs steam like competitor storefront app.
So steam already supports this concept, and I wish they did not. I hate having to setup-manage-log into yet another service just to play my games on steam.
Well, as long its includes a game in a purchase. I don’t see whats wrong.
this one a store within a store thing, inception right there.
I’m glad they put a big ass UPLAY warning on the right side. I made the mistake once, never again.
uPlay is still better than Origin, because it actually functions and lets me have my game series on Steam and I’m not perpetually missing Mass Effect 3
Yeah it does work good. I think U-play isn’t half bad. I just really didn’t like buying a game on steam, to play on steam, but only to then learn I have to make an account on a different storefront app to play it with steam…. it was… really annoying. it was like… why even have this on steam at all then if I just have to go to uplay to play it anyways? =p
Anyone who played GTA4 online- did you notice this– you had to start it on steam, log into rockstar club thing, then log into games for windows live… and once finally in game guess what?… I had to use the ingame smartphone to LOG INTO the multiplayer and go through long load times!
Horrible!
I just want to press the play button on steam and be ingame, boom, done… simple… I am a gamer and I am lazy, have a nice day =D
So basically what you’re saying is that Steam will let any old crap game scam through but if it means they can’t make money off of it (guessing that it was probably free and didn’t give Steam a cut of their sales) they won’t let it in