I want to add, this was an existing ruling, they just clarified the rule. Every article it seems is using each-others clickbait titles(the linked article even references it in the edit).
The change that they made was that they added a dedicated section to the developer guidelines, where before they only had it on their pricing page.
This rule has been in effect for 5 years now according to steamdb.
Who the hell would force ads on a pc game.
Whatever happens on mobile has ended up being adopted onto traditional gaming platforms down the line. My first encounter with stuff like IAPs was on mobile and lot of people’s first introduction to gaming these days is mobile games, so next generation will be more open to it.
Oh
Ubisoft
EA. Microsoft. Sony. They all already have product placement similar to movies in their games. Anything to make a buck, except make good games.
This seems to be targeting “watch these ads to get credits” model, which is pretty common in free-to-play games.
One of the funnier/less annoying ads-in-game I’ve seen would be where they fill the spaces where ads normally are, though. Like, if a game had an IRL stadium or street, they would replace the billboard contents with their own ad content instead of putting in ersatz advertising.
Sports games do it
So like Fifa,Makes sense tbh.
They have game-interrupting full screen ads? Our just product placement. Because only the former is banned
I guess not interrupting because players don’t view having to click through ads to get to the menu as interrupting
Which game makes you click through ads to get to the menu?
What the other person said is what I’m referring to
though the nhl games put actual ads on the boards and pause menu that change on updates cycles
Does it count if they are ads for things in the game I am playing? Cuz that seems to be pretty standard in a lot of MP shooters these days where every time you log in, you’re bombarded with what are basically ads for new skins, events, features, etc.
Is it just me or is that title worded as confusingly as possible?