Steam Bans Logos that Show Awards and Review Scores in Favor of Simplicity

Several successful games on Steam have boasted their success by posting the scores they receive across multiple outlets, ours included. But now, thanks to the latest ruling from Valve regarding graphical assets, this practice will change. This is because the ruling now bans any thumbnail art that features awards and high review scores.

Now, Valve is aware of how controversial this new measure on Steam might be. However, they make the case that the reason behind this measure is to keep logos visible to players.

According to them, some game logos have become so small that it’s hard for players to tell the game’s name. In other cases, graphical asset images are so cluttered with award logos and ratings that it is distracting and hard to read. Additionally, some of the capsules also contain outdated review scores. So you can add a slight bit of misinformation there.

Additionally, Valve also states that some of these logos can affect users that use Steam in different languages. In most cases, the text on the aforementioned capsules is presented only in English, essentially isolating much of the Steam audience that doesn’t speak English. Because of these reasons, the awards and accolades will be kept off the game logos.

However, Valve still understands the need for developers to show off the quality of their games. So, while this measure can take that idea away, they also suggested developers use a compromise in the form of the dedicated spaces for Accolades that Steam offers. Press review quotes, press review scores, and special awards each have dedicated spaces on Steam store pages where they can be presented consistently and where customers can expect to find that information.

So, from September 1, 2022, developers will have to abide by these new rules detailed in the announcement. While the ruling majorly prohibits the use of text, developers can still promote recent updates or new content through store capsules. Any game not adhering to these rules may have limits to visibility within the Steam store and will be ineligible for featuring in official Steam sales and events.