AI Summary
5 min readWhy Steam's biggest rules are being broken—and nobody is stopping it
Two billion-dollar companies have broken Steam's core rules on review manipulation and AI disclosure, and as of this episode's recording, Valve has done nothing about it. The host argues that if this pattern continues without consequences, Steam reviews could become as untrustworthy as Amazon's—and the platform itself would be worse off.
The Blue Archive scandal: bribing for reviews, plain and simple
The first case involves Nexon, the publisher behind the mobile gacha game Blue Archive. When the game launched on Steam, Nexon created a "Steam review event" that promised in-game gifts once the total number of reviews—positive or negative—hit a certain target. The host reads Steam's own rules aloud: "Don't attempt to abuse or artificially manipulate the review system." Then the second rule: "Don't solicit reviews in exchange for any compensation."
Nexon's defenders argue that the event didn't ask for positive reviews, only a total count. The host is incredulous. "That's not what it says in the rules. Those rules are being broken. Undeniable." He points out that on mobile stores, this kind of incentivized review farming is standard practice—and it's one reason mobile game scores are notoriously inflated. But Steam has always treated this differently. Until now.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Introduction: Can You Still Trust Steam Reviews?** - Asmongold poses the central question of the episode: are Steam reviews and AI disclosures still trustworthy, given recent evidence of systematic manipulation by major companies.
- 2 (00:25) **The Stakes: Two Billion-Dollar Companies Breaking Steam's Rules** - Asmongold reveals that two publicly listed companies have been caught violating Steam's rules on review manipulation and AI disclosure.
- 3 (01:12) **Sidebar: SAG-AFTRA Strike & Media Bias** - Asmongold briefly discusses the tentative deal ending the video game voice actor strike, noting how different outlets frame the same news differently (UK vs. US, left vs. right).
- 4 (03:23) **Setting the Scene: How Steam Usually Enforces Rules** - Asmongold explains that Valve typically punishes rule-breakers swiftly, citing examples like the game *Pirate Fight* being pulled for fake reviews and an entire publisher's library being removed for manipulating the trading card economy.
- 5 (05:00) **Case #1: Nexon and Blue Archive's Review Manipulation** - Asmongold details how Nexon, a massive company, broke Steam's review rules to boost the launch of *Blue Archive* on PC.
- 6 (07:47) **The Nexon Debate: Punishment vs. Revenue** - Asmongold debates whether Valve will actually punish Nexon, given the company's size and revenue.
- 7 (09:01) **Case #2: 11 Bit Studios and AI Disclosure** - Asmongold introduces the second case: *The Alters* from the developer of *Frostpunk*, which broke Steam's AI disclosure rules.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Why you can't trust Steam reviews anymore Asmongold podcast for all of his stream highlights, competitions, reactions & more.
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---- Keywords: reaction videos, world of warcraft, gaming news, pc gaming, mmo gaming, streamer reactions
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