Gaming
Valve weighs fixes for Steam Next Fest's low-quality demos
For the first two days, Steam Next Fest randomizes demo lineups; Valve says this gives developers equal exposure and helps prevent abuse.
Steam Next Fest drew criticism for its sheer number of demos and the AI slop surfacing in the lineup. Valve acknowledged the criticism and said it was considering ways to address low-quality games appearing in the event.
The number of demos has climbed sharply between Next Fest events. Giardino described that growth as ‘the pendulum swinging to the opposite side,’ saying that three years ago there were ‘only 50 or 100 games’ participating in Next Fest.
What Valve says
Valve's answer came at the Steam Indie Connect developer event, where Tom Giardino and Marc Wilkinson of the Steam Business Team took on the criticism. Wilkinson said Valve was fully aware of the situation and that a significant number of people were considering how to solve the problem.
Part of the problem sits in how the festival opens. The lineup is randomized for the first two days, and personalized recommendations begin afterward.
That random start is deliberate. Valve says it gives every developer equal exposure and helps prevent abuse of the system, and Wilkinson was candid about the cost: "We recognize that the trade-off is some low-quality games get exposed."