Valve's explanation of the first 48 hours
According to a report by IT之家 based on a service by the outlet VGC, Valve illustrated how recommendations work during Steam Indie Connect, an event dedicated to relations with developers held in Korea. The issue emerged from concrete complaints: some participants disputed the poor visibility obtained during Steam Next Fest, while some players described the event as dominated by numerous low-quality titles, defined in the material as junk games generated with artificial intelligence.
Marc Wilkinson, a member of Valve's business team, confirmed that during the first two days of the event, the titles shown to users on the main page are selected in a purely random manner. Only after this initial period does the system move to the personalized recommendation algorithm, which highlights games deemed most closely aligned with each player's interests. The choice, he specified, responds to two stated objectives: ensuring that every developer has the same opportunity for exposure and preventing some from gaining advantages by participating early.
The admitted trade-off and the historical precedent
Wilkinson himself acknowledged that the mechanism entails an inevitable cost: even lower-quality products end up receiving visibility in the initial phase. He added that Valve is aware of the problem and that several people within the company are already studying possible solutions, though without indicating a timeline or method.
Tom Giardino, another Valve representative, framed the protests in a broader perspective, recalling that requests to filter certain titles from recommendations had already been made by users in the past. He cited as precedents the introduction of Steam Greenlight, which took place fourteen years ago, and the subsequent adoption of the Steam Direct system, periods in which the questions raised by developers were of a similar nature.
A strategy that does not provide for entry filters
According to Giardino, Valve's goal is not to exclude poor games from the platform. The approach outlined consists of not restricting access for developers, but improving the store's functions so that the best works can stand out. It is therefore a choice aimed at optimizing the showcase, not at pre-screening publications.
The material does not clarify which technical tools or criteria Valve intends to adopt to achieve this result, nor whether the solutions under study concern exclusively the initial period of Next Fest. It also does not specify how many developers participated in the meeting in Korea, what response they received on the issue of visibility, and whether operational decisions were made. Finally, it remains to be verified whether and when Valve will make public the updated criteria of the recommendation system.
