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[simonheartscake]

Most of us (if not all) know that in terms of the finances, if you can get on steam it is a massive boost. Makes this question pretty simple.
So does anyone know anything that might improve chances to get on steam once your game is done:
Anything I can build in as I make the game?
Is it about the polish?
Is it about copyright?
Do you need to be a large company?

Put simply I am just wondering if their are specific things you can do to improve your chances?

[Nix]

You don't need to be a large company and I don't know what you mean about copyright (if you are illegally using IP you will be in trouble wherever you publish your game). To get on Steam you have to have a genuinely good game and Valve needs to think it's a good game. It's as simple as that.

[Hangedman]

To get on Steam you have to have a genuinely good game and Valve needs to think it's a good game. It's as simple as that.

Some bad games get on Steam too, but not too many. They slip through, because really...

what you need to do is convince someone at Valve, directly or indirectly, that your game should be on Steam.

[_Tommo_]

Also lots of visibility, so they can expect the game to sell well. I don't think they would refuse a big seller only because it's "bad" *AHEM* Terraria *AHEM*.
Having your game going viral looks like a good method regardless.

[Defcon1]

What I've heard helps is getting some positive reviews on your game. Be it a metacritic approved site or popular designer/developer.

You might consider releasing it on Desura first and get that community's input and go from there.

Good luck!

[Klaim]

Just make a game that cannot be unknown by at least one guy at Valve.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

these things are my impression about what helps:

1. networking: knowing someone who works at steam, or having a friend of a friend who works there

2. 3d games have a higher chance of getting on steam than 2d games; there are plenty of games with bad 3d on there, but very few with bad 2d (the 2d games that make it on there are usually exceptionally pretty)

3. games that have had good sales on their own site, and good reviews from mainstream game review sites; if you can sell thousands of copies on your own website, steam is more likely to take you on since they know it can sell

4. games that have won an award (such as an igf award) or even a nomination for such an award have a higher chance of getting on steam. the main reason i enter the igf every year is that even getting a nomination helps your chances of getting on steam immensely

5. games that are made in 3rd party engines like game maker, mmf2, rpgmaker, etc., have a lower chance of getting on steam (but not impossible)

6. having a record of successful games on the past, or having other games on steam that you made previously, helps, because they know you have a record of making good games

7. having fans email them constantly requesting the game be on steam helps a lot, especially if it's a lot of fans and not just one or two people

8. luck. probably the most important factor. they seem to choose which games get on and which don't at random

[simonheartscake]

these things are my impression about what helps:

5. games that are made in 3rd party engines like game maker, mmf2, rpgmaker, etc., have a lower chance of getting on steam (but not impossible)

What about unity :S
Sad times man

[moi]

Some time ago someone had compiled a list of the situations that would make you eligible for steam it would be something like :

1-a very popular HL mod or source engine game

2-an IGF winner

3-A game that already sells a lot outside ogf steam and you can prove it with sales stats

4-you're a friend of a valve employee or you work at valve

 
[EDIT] Oh I see it's basically paul eres' list

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

hahaha

[simonheartscake]

these things are my impression about what helps:

1. networking: knowing someone who works at steam, or having a friend of a friend who works there

so, anyone know a guy haha ?? x

[Oddball]

The worst thing you can do when making a game is to change your vision of what makes a great game just on the off chance that it might get on your preferred portal/service. That's what suits at AAA companies do when they're ruining the dev teams carefully crafted masterpiece, 'Our research shows that hats are trending well with the 20-25 demographic, so we feel you should add more hats.'. Just make the best game you can, and then get it in front of as many people as you can.

[Nix]

these things are my impression about what helps:

5. games that are made in 3rd party engines like game maker, mmf2, rpgmaker, etc., have a lower chance of getting on steam (but not impossible)

What about unity :S
Sad times man

Unity would be fine. I suspect the biggest reasons that games made in game maker, mmf, etc don't get onto Steam as much is because they aren't, on average, as good. What I mean is that a team which manages to create its own engine is more likely to be more experienced in the entire game development process.

And Unity is essentially a AAA game engine. It offers a lot of the functionality of engines like Unreal but at a fraction of the cost. But just like Game Maker, it holds your hands with a lot of things.

I would be really curious to see someone with a game on Steam talk about the process. Did the developer contact Valve or did Valve contact the developer? Was it a very personal process or largely impersonal?

[Oddball]

I would be really curious to see someone with a game on Steam talk about the process. Did the developer contact Valve or did Valve contact the developer? Was it a very personal process or largely impersonal?

I contacted Steam twice. The first time the game got rejected so I went away and worked like a madman for six months improving the game. The second time it got accepted. They didn't give me any feedback as to why they rejected it, or why they then accepted it the second time.

Not sure what you mean by the second question. I've been in touch with about eight Valve staff during the process and they've all be nice, helpful, friendly people. One guy even helped me out on his day off when half the valve staff where on company vacation and I had an issue.

[Nix]

Not sure what you mean by the second question. I've been in touch with about eight Valve staff during the process and they've all be nice, helpful, friendly people. One guy even helped me out on his day off when half the valve staff where on company vacation and I had an issue.

You answered it

Which game is this?

[Oddball]

Which game is this?

http://store.steampowered.com/app/207430/

[simonheartscake]

Which game is this?

http://store.steampowered.com/app/207430/

Out of interest, what do they ask you for in terms of art for steam itself?

[Oddball]

They have a media pack with templates of all required promotional media. It's quite sizeable, but not overwhelming. Basically anywhere there is an icon, thumbnail, or banner on steam you need to provide artwork for it. There's more than you realise.

[moi]

do oyu have to provide a video?

[Oddball]

They highly recommend it, but I don't think it's absolutely required. I'd recommend having a trailer whether you're on steam or not though.