The gaming platformSteamhas been in the spotlight recently for a few reasons: Firstly, it was reported co-op games aremassively outshiningsingle-player experiences on the PC service, and the platform also wrappedSteam Next Fest- a week-long celebration gifting gamers the chance to play hundreds of free demos - last month.
Steam was also making headlines concerning the popular free-to-play Banana game, where the entire purpose is to click on the fruit. A surge in the game’s interest caused aworrying trendto emerge, where similar titles of this ilk spiked in popularity, causing users to ask Valve to shut down the craze. Steam Next Fest has also come under fire by the Tactical Breach Wizards creator, who believes organic growth is dying due to the platform’s algorithms.
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Tactical Breach Wizards Creator Lifts The Lid On Steam Developers’ Frustration
In an interview withGamesRadar,Tactical Breach Wizards creator, Tom Francis, highlighted the challenge developers face in getting their games noticed during Steam Next Fest. The platform seems to follow trends and metrics, which makes it increasingly difficult for original game concepts to stand out among trendy titles like Banana, for example.
Francis revealed there’s “always this weird arms race with Steam developers where they come up with algorithms and systems and metrics that they believe will detect which games are organic and doing well, and then boost those”. Francis said the developers then have to “decipher what those tricks are, what those metrics are, and where it counts, and we have to focus on it”.
The creator said these parameters cause developers to hone in on these algorithms and perhaps focus on them more than they should. The more developers give their attention to these systems, it results in “less of a good metric that turns out to be for organic reach”, according to Francis. This peak behind the veil certainly helps gamers understand why the Banana indie soared in the charts, but it also gives the impression that organic discoveries are dying on the Steam platform.
Francis is the name behind indie gems, Floating Point, Gunpoint, and Heat Signature, in addition to the strategy hit Tactical Breach Wizards. The latter’s demo debuted during June’s Steam Next Fest and Francis’ frustration with Steam’s metrics sounds valid when the end goal is to simply get his project noticed in a sea of trends.
When making Tactical Breach Wizards, Francis was inspired by his love forXCOM- the science-fiction franchise by Firaxis Games - having sunk hundreds of hours into the title. Despite his game garnering the attention of many during Steam Next Fest, it’s understandable why Francis feels the pressure of Google-like algorithms when the goal is simply to share your passion project with the world.
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