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Steam is (finally) looking at improving its game recommendation algorithm for its PC marketplace, with an updated version that shifts the balance towards smaller and more personally relevant titles over just the biggest AAA games.
Developer and publisher Valve has received a fair amount of flak in recent times for the way it prioritizes the marketing of high-profile games on the Steam platform, often to the detriment of indie developers who struggle to get the same traction.
A blog post to the Steam community outlines the âalgorithmic changes and bug fixesâ going into the recommendation engine, adding that âwe were receiving lots of feedback that âRecommended for You,â felt too biased towards only the most popular games and didnât feel very personalized.â
[ul]
[li]What are the very best PC games?[/li][li]Or just the best games on Steam?[/li][li]Read our hands on Nintendo Switch Lite review[/li][/ul]
After testing the updated algorithm on 5% of users â and finding that users were 15% more likely to click on the games recommended to them, with âincreases in purchase and wishlisting across a broader set of gamesâ â Valve has now rolled out the update to the entire user base.
Whatâs in a bug?
The description of âbug fixesâ is an interesting one, as the narrative around Steamâs recommendations has tended to think of them as being actively biased towards large-scale developers â Bethesda, EA, and the like â given their pulling power for a wide range of gamers.
The Epic Games Store has an explicit mission to shift the power balance in the favor of indie developers, with a 30% cut of profits to game creators, rather than the 11% currently handed out by Steam.
While the algorithm fixes will no doubt help gamers find titles they actually want to play â and, therefore, put some more cash in the pockets of small- or medium-sized developers â thereâs more work Steam could be doing in the area.
[ul]
[li]Epic Games Store: exclusives, early access, and how itâs taking on Steam[/li][/ul]
Via Engadget
Continue readingâŚ
Developer and publisher Valve has received a fair amount of flak in recent times for the way it prioritizes the marketing of high-profile games on the Steam platform, often to the detriment of indie developers who struggle to get the same traction.
A blog post to the Steam community outlines the âalgorithmic changes and bug fixesâ going into the recommendation engine, adding that âwe were receiving lots of feedback that âRecommended for You,â felt too biased towards only the most popular games and didnât feel very personalized.â
[ul]
[li]What are the very best PC games?[/li][li]Or just the best games on Steam?[/li][li]Read our hands on Nintendo Switch Lite review[/li][/ul]
After testing the updated algorithm on 5% of users â and finding that users were 15% more likely to click on the games recommended to them, with âincreases in purchase and wishlisting across a broader set of gamesâ â Valve has now rolled out the update to the entire user base.
Whatâs in a bug?
The description of âbug fixesâ is an interesting one, as the narrative around Steamâs recommendations has tended to think of them as being actively biased towards large-scale developers â Bethesda, EA, and the like â given their pulling power for a wide range of gamers.
The Epic Games Store has an explicit mission to shift the power balance in the favor of indie developers, with a 30% cut of profits to game creators, rather than the 11% currently handed out by Steam.
While the algorithm fixes will no doubt help gamers find titles they actually want to play â and, therefore, put some more cash in the pockets of small- or medium-sized developers â thereâs more work Steam could be doing in the area.
[ul]
[li]Epic Games Store: exclusives, early access, and how itâs taking on Steam[/li][/ul]
Via Engadget
Continue readingâŚ