Valve has updated its Steam Subscriber Agreement, the agreement to which all Steam users are bound, to include a new clause that requires users to disclose when they’re using the platform to promote a product in exchange for cash, games or non-material rewards.
It follows on from a similar clause that Valve had included in its recent Steam Curator Guidelines, a clause that instructed those with curator pages to make it clear when games had been recommended following payment or other kinds of compensation from a game’s publisher or developer.
The clause means that any Steam user posting a review, forum post, or any kind of user-generated content on behalf of a third-party or in exchange for compensation from a third-party, must now make it clear to other users of Steam that their content has been sponsored or paid for.
The change affects every part of the Steam service, including the recently launched Steam Broadcasting tools that allow users to stream live footage of their gameplay. The disclosure clause brings Valve’s platform in line with similar laws that bind YouTube and Twitch streamers, who may choose which games to promote based on commercial deals with publishers and developers.
Steam Database has published a full list of the changes to the Steam Subscriber Agreement to their Twitter account.
Thanks Gamasutra.