Valve Brings More Updates To Steam's More Like This Section

Published: September 20, 2019 2:30 PM /

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steam

Last week, Valve implemented some changes to the way Steam's More Like This section works. More Like This is displayed on a game's page beneath the System Requirements tab and shows you games that Valve's algorithm thinks you'll like. Unfortunately, some indie developers said this change was hurting their games' chance of being discovered.

Now, Valve is taking steps to address this problem. In a press release sent out yesterday, the Steam creator said it was "rolling out a new experiment" intended to deal with some of the feedback it's been receiving from indie devs. The update will be rolled out to 20% of players and will introduce more sections to More Like This on Steam. These sections are specifically dedicated to new releases, upcoming releases, and top-selling games. Here's what the new More Like This section looks like:

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This is where Steam displays games with the same tag as the original.

 

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New Upcoming Releases and New Releases tabs have been added to Steam's More Like This section.

 

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Steam now also has a Top Selling area in its More Like This section.

Valve says that while players "prefer to engage with games that are available to play now", it wants to help make sure upcoming releases that are relevant to other games get the necessary airtime for building an audience. Here's a list of specific changes Valve made in its most recent update:

  • The "More Like This" section on a game page will randomly shuffle from a pool of related games. This, in addition to the fix to show fewer games the customer already owns, allows for a greater variety of related titles to be surfaced there.
  • The "More Like This" section on a game page will also typically show a few upcoming releases.
  • The "More Like This" page will now specifically categorize the most related titles at the top (excluding items already in the player's library), followed by related games that are upcoming releases, new releases, and top sellers.
What happens next is unclear. Hopefully, this addresses some of the complaints indie developers have had about Valve's More Like This algorithm. Valve says it will be "keeping a close eye" on what happens as a result of its changes, so watch this space.

Do you like the new tabs in Steam's More Like This section? Let us know in the comments below!

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Joe has been writing for TechRaptor for five years, and in those five years has learned a lot about the gaming industry and its foibles. He’s originally an… More about Joseph