Always Check the Publisher and Developer of a Steam Game Before Purchasing
Steam is less curated than other digital PC game distributors such as the Epic Games Store. While this makes it much easier to self-publish games on Steam, it opens up a platform for abuse, such as downloading illegal versions of games without the developer’s consent.
A recent example is Sinking City. The game suddenly appeared on Steam a few months later as an Epic Game Store exclusive. Shortly thereafter, The Sinking City development studio, Frogwares, claimed that the game’s publisher, Nacon, had stolen and illegally uploaded the game’s code on Steam, and urged players not to buy the Steam version (via Vice ). Nacon responded by denying that the Steam version was illegal, but confirmed that it was an “outdated” version that Frogwares refused to update. In the end, Frogwares issued a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) prohibition to remove The Sinking City from the Steam store.
The Sinking City case is rare, but such cases are not unheard of, such as the 1985 Steam release of the Rogue dungeon crawler (which inspired the popular Roguelike subgenre). The game sells for $ 2.99 on Steam from Pixel Games UK.
At first glance, the game seems legitimate; the store page lists the original developer, Epyx, and all reviews provided are positive. However, Epyx’s Rogue is open source and can be downloaded for free elsewhere . When you buy it on Steam, the money goes to Pixel Games UK, not the original developers. This version of Rogue does not technically violate any laws or Steam policies, but “technically” legality does not make it moral.
Again, these cases are unusual, but both The Sinking City and Rogue highlight the importance of checking releases on Steam before paying for them. If a game that was previously exclusive to another platform suddenly appears on Steam without an official announcement, take a moment to make sure it’s the real game. You can see the publisher and developer of the game on the game’s Steam Store page, but these details can also be misleading: The Sinking City listed Frogwares despite the studio not participating in the Steam release.
Check the official websites and social media accounts of the game, its developers and publisher to make sure everyone has announced the release. You can always contact if you are not sure.
And as we often recommend for smartphone apps , be sure to read the Steam reviews. This is an easy way to catch publishing problems – many users gave Rogue negative reviews and mentioned that the game is freely available elsewhere. If the game hasn’t been released yet or there aren’t many reviews on Steam, you can also check Reddit, user forums, and news outlets to make sure your money goes to the people who made the game and not to the sketchy opportunists taking advantage of it. platforms.