Artists are constantly battling against those who assume their work isn't worth a dime, and Valve are essentially doing the same according to artists currently offering up their work through the Steam Workshop.
It might not have been all too obvious in the past, but a lot of those putting in the time and effort to bring you that fancy knife skin or DotA 2 cosmetic item is usually expecting something in return. While most of the cash spent on acquiring such items go to Valve, some goes to the contributing community artist. At least, it used to.
Finally speaking out against the seemingly consistent attempts to stifle the community of its compensated and dedicated artists, and handful of those usually hoping to make a living through the system have mentioned how some have had to call it quits over the last month due to how Valve has continuously changed to rules on how they're paid.
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In the past, community artists have received a cut for any in-game item donning their work. Over the last few years, however, various changes to the system has meant that while contributors are now required to agree to the terms of the 'Battle Pass' - that can contain a wide variety of community made items - the creators of the styles being used won't receive a thing. The only sure-fire way for artists to make a buck or two now lies in sales through the standard item chests - a purchase said to be much less frequent.
Attempts to set things right have, reportedly, fallen on deaf ears with nobody able to get a response from anyone at Valve who bring up the issue. Because of that, the artists say that if their work doesn't make it into the Collector's Cache purchasable during this year's International - Dota 2's major competition - they'll likely have to throw in the towel with their income falling 6-fold over the last few months.
