The new Steam Curators feature always seemed at risk of edging into the sticky territory of paid-for recommendations, so it’s not too surprising to see Valve update the terms and conditions with some further clarification.
The key addition is as follows; ”If you’ve accepted money or other compensation for making a product review or for posting a recommendation, you must disclose this fact in your recommendation.”
If you’re not familiar with the concept, Steam Curators lets you build up a library of recommended titles. It’s already popular with Youtubers and gaming blogs, mainly because Valve lets you link to reviews and videos on other websites as part of your recommendation.
The new policy update follows a similiar clarification from streaming website Twitch, which now requires special tags on channels that receive funding from sponsors. ”Simply put: We want complete transparency and unwavering authenticity with all content and promotions that have a sponsor relationship,” write Twitch’s VP of marketing and communications Matthew DiPietro.
How exactly Valve will enforce its ban on paid-for recommendations remains to be seen.
