Embracing User Generated Content (Steam Dev Days 2014)Steamworks Development2024-10-22 | Embracing User Generated Content (Steam Dev Days 2014)Next Fest Q&A September 25 2024 (5pm PT session)Steamworks Development2024-10-02 | Members of the Steam Business Team answer developers' questions about registering for and getting the most out of Steam Next Fest.
Topics covered in this presentation: 00:00 Intro 00:46 Can trailers be updated after initial submission 03:05 Can a demo build be updated after initial upload 03:29 When can notification emails be sent to wishlisters 04:37 How to handle difficult forum posts 05:18 Can livestreams be prerecorded 07:41 Store page for a demo vs base game 08:49 Asset kit availability 09:16 Press preview access 10:20 Demo length 11:58 Deprioritized livestreams and what it means 14:02 Demo visibility in the new discovery tech 17:39 Getting featured on the front page of Next Fest 19:44 Press preview demo availability 20:45 Press preview demo vs public demo 24:12 Livestream visibility 25:29 Press preview inclusion 26:14 The casual genre 28:51 Tag priority for visibility 31:40 Press preview inclusion 32:24 Future fest length 33:21 VODs from previous Q&A Sessions - https //www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLckFgM6dUP2iCWK3VkvB8YZI9b7HHCj8m 34:01 How to get included in the new trailertv tech 36:07 Alphabetical genre sorting disadvantages 38:14 Explain the microtrailer 39:39 Steam metrics 40:26 Trailer style 42:09 Can someone create and upload their own microtrailer 42:54 Press preview inclusion 44:16 Should screenshots include game UI 45:52 Best marketing strategies outside of Steam 49:23 Live vs prerecorded livestreams 51:15 Dad joke 52:25 Wrap upNext Fest Q&A September 25 2024 (10am PT session)Steamworks Development2024-09-26 | Members of the Steam Business Team answer developers' questions about registering for and getting the most out of Steam Next Fest.
Topics covered in this presentation: 00:00:00 Open 00:00:32 Intros 00:01:18 Overview of what to expect for Next Fest October 2024 00:04:06 Prioritizing visibility 00:05:29 Will games participating in Next Fest get higher priority 00:05:57 Does a demo need to be live to participate in the press preview 00:07:43 Can games participate in multiple Next Fests 00:08:19 Can a game release before Next Fest begins 00:08:58 How to increase visibility during Next Fest 00:09:45 How to time announcements 00:10:29 What determines the ranking on Next Fest pages 00:12:39 When will press assets be available 00:13:01 How are seasonal elements handled 00:13:25 What helps with discoverability 00:13:56 October Next Fest preview - store.steampowered.com/sale/nextfest_preview 00:14:31 When can developers know how games are being shown in Next Fest - store.steampowered.com/sale/nextfest_preview 00:15:06 Press Preview 00:15:29 Do press automatically get access to demos 00:16:03 Next Fest categories and the front page of the Steam Store 00:16:38 Do trailers need to be uploaded somewhere specific 00:17:41 Can a trailer get uploaded just before Next Fest begins 00:18:23 Can a demo store page get disabled while the demo is still live 00:18:58 Can user reviews be disabled 00:19:18 Demos with and without separate store pages 00:20:14 October Next Fest Deadlines 00:22:02 One or multiple trailers 00:22:41 Will future Next Fests be extended to run longer 00:24:11 How do wishlists impact discoverability 00:25:06 Best tagging practices 00:25:40 How has the main page structure changed 00:26:25 Best tag practices (continued) 00:27:14 Where will a game appear to customers 00:28:23 Trailer best practices 00:29:08 Press preview 00:30:18 Does a demo require a separate store page from the base game 00:31:29 Will a separate store page for a demo increase visibility 00:32:37 Can a demo get released before the start of Next Fest 00:33:41 Is a separate store page for a demo recommended 00:34:54 Is there a difference between a dev page and a public facing page 00:36:07 How are livestreams being implemented for this Next Fest 00:38:02 Categories vs tags 00:39:06 Demo build review process 00:40:01 Can demo builds be patched during Next Fest 00:40:50 Is Next Fest page content localized 00:42:16 Demo deadlines 00:43:15 Visibility 00:44:24 Does concurrent players during Next Fest affect performance of the base game launch 00:45:27 Livestreaming an internal demo build 00:45:49 Trailers and the press preview 00:46:46 Trailer upload deadlines 00:47:44 Front page upcoming release criteria 00:48:44 Using Next Fest to improve visibility 00:50:38 Launching a demo before Next Fest - help.steampowered.com/en/wizard/HelpWithPublishing 00:50:50 Can a livestream be pre-recorded 00:52:03 Game discoverability 00:52:30 How will review scores affect visibility later-on in Next Fest 00:53:05 Is there a separate place to upload demo trailers 00:53:31 Emailing players directly when a demo launches 00:54:37 Follow-up - Separate trailer upload space for a demo 00:55:18 Visibility on the stream tab 00:56:19 Launching a demo prior to Next Fest 00:56:58 How long should a trailer be for the micro-trailer tech 00:58:37 Regarding the increasing number of games participating in Next Fest 00:59:24 Wrap upNext Fest Q&A August 2024Steamworks Development2024-08-29 | Members of the Steam Business Team answer developers' questions about registering for and getting the most out of Steam Next Fest.
Topics covered in this presentation: 00:00 - Open 00:14 - Introductions 00:53 - Overview 03:23 - Changes to Next Fest October 2024 - partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/upcoming_events/nextfest/2024oct 07:13 - Are there restrictions on who can conduct a livestream 07:56 - Playtests during Next Fest 08:39 - Do trailers need to be live to be included in Steam Marketing Materials 09:38 - Press Preview 11:51 - Do livestreams need to be associated with the demo or the main game AppID 15:03 - Can game marketing trailers be posted outside of Steam prior to Next Fest 16:36 - Press Preview 17:47 - Game featuring on the Next Fest page 20:57 - Press Preview and game visibility 21:39 - Can demos be updated after the initial upload 23:09 - Coming Soon banners 24:09 - Pre-orders vs Pre-purchase - partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/prepurchase 24:59 - Demo stand-alone pages 25:50 - Game visibility 27:38 - Trailers on the Steam Page 28:03 - Demo game links 28:38 - Featured games 29:24 - Press Preview 30:58 - Steam accounts and livestreams 31:41 - Demo notifications 32:59 - What is the goal of Next Fest 34:08 - How important is the trailer to register for Next Fest 35:33 - Can we publish our game before Next Fest 35:51 - Important dates for Next Fest October 2024 36:20 - Separate Demo page 36:44 - How many games are in Next Fest 38:05 - Pre-recorded vs live livestreams 39:03 - Can the demo live on the store page after the game releases 39:45 - Deciding which Next Fest to participate in 40:43 - Notification date to be included in the Official Trailer 42:25 - Demo of full game store page 43:12 - Restrictions on how many Next Fests can be participated in 44:22 - Does removing the demo remove a user’s previous ability to play it 45:24 - Stand-alone demo store page vs full game store page 47:10 - How many games will be participating in Next Fest October 2024 49:27 - Can demos have restricted access 50:29 - Better game visibility during press preview 51:38 - Home page and livestreams 52:41 - Can a game register for Next Fest even before a coming soon page is live 53:39 - Can reviews be removed in-between demo builds 54:47 - Reviews and Next Fest visibility 56:06 - Deciding which Next Fest to participate in 57:38 - Closing remarksSteamworks Quick Tips - Steam Game Recording and Steam Timeline APISteamworks Development2024-06-26 | Introducing Steam Game Recording and the Steam Timeline API! In this video, we give you an overview of Steam Game Recording and then walk you through a real-world example of integrating a game with the Steam Timeline API using code samples.
Link to Steamworks documentation on Steam Timeline: partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/timelineBest Practices: Developing an audience while developing your game - GDC 2024Steamworks Development2024-05-22 | Join Kaci as she walks through important concepts to remember while developing a game and launching on Steam.
00:00 - Intro 00:15 - The best marketing tool for your game 01:19 - How Steam is built 03:13 - The right way to market on Steam 05:04 - Two questions to ask 06:06 - Marketing examples 06:17 - Three phases of development 07:40 - Have a home base 08:16 - Building the store page 08:41 - Trailer 11:26 - Screenshots 12:25 - Description and tags 14:27 - Preparing for launch 15:21 - Gathering feedback 17:37 - After launch 19:02 - Keeping your audience 20:39 - Options on Steam to keep your audience 21:50 - Wrapping up 22:30 - ConclusionSteam Visibility: How Games Get Surfaced to PlayersSteamworks Development2023-10-05 | This video focuses on how Steam works to connect players with games they are likely to enjoy. Learn about the discovery mechanisms at work behind the scenes on Steam, which inputs matter, and how Valve approaches the operation of a PC platform where any kind of game can find its audience.
Questions? Feel free to reach out to us at partner.steamgames.com/contactSteam Deck Hardware (an Overview)Steamworks Development2021-11-13 | Steam Deck was built from the ground up for an optimal PC handheld gaming experience, and hardware engineer Yazan Aldehayyat shows how - and why- we made it the way we did. Even more importantly, he shows how those decisions allow for developers to bring all different kinds of games to Steam Deck as an optimal experience for players.
Documents referenced during his talk and more from the question and answer session will be made available following the event on Steam.Development Without a Dev-KitSteamworks Development2021-11-13 | Designer Lawrence Yang outlines how developers can get their games running well on Steam Deck, even without a dev-kit to test with. From testing for compatibility with what you have laying around, to putting together a deconstructed Deck for all-in-one testing, he goes over several options and best-practices for getting ready for Steam Deck without a dev-kit.
Documents Lawrence references during his talk can be found below and more from the question and answer session will be made available following the event on Steam.
Developing for Steam Deck without a dev-kit partner.steamgames.com/doc/steamdeck/testing How to load and run games on the Steam Deck Dev-Kit partner.steamgames.com/doc/steamdeck/devkits/loadgamesSteam on DeckSteamworks Development2021-11-13 | We designed Steam Deck to give customers and developers the same Steam experience they've come to expect on any PC. Programmer Tom Bui and designer Tucker Spofford share how Steam features "just work" on Steam Deck, from Steam Community to the Steam Store and more. They'll also talk about some of the new Steam features made for Deck and crossing over to the desktop client as well.
Documents referenced during their talk can be found below and more from the question and answer session will be made available following the event on Steam.
Documentation referenced by Tom and Tucker during their talk:
Documents referenced during his talk and more from the question and answer session will be made available following the event on Steam.APU Deep-dive with AMDSteamworks Development2021-11-13 | Sebastien Nussbaum from AMD details the technology that powers Steam Deck's custom APU and goes over the options for graphics debugging and performance profiling available to developers.Steam InputSteamworks Development2021-11-13 | Steam Deck controls are a superset of XInput, so many developers won't need to do anything to get their game working on Deck. However, as programmer Scott Dalton shares, we've added powerful new controls to Steam Deck that some devs may find are even better options for their games.
Documents referenced during his talk and more from the question and answer session will be made available following the event on Steam.Steam Deck Development Live StreamSteamworks Development2021-11-12 | ...Steamworks Quick Tips - Introducing Steam Deck VerifiedSteamworks Development2021-10-18 | In this video, we introduce Steam Deck Verified, a Steam Deck compatibility review program. We explain how we plan to help customers know what to expect when shopping for games and playing games on Steam Deck, and also answer some common developer questions.
Questions? Contact us: partner.steamgames.com/contactSteamworks Quick Tips - Collaborative BundlesSteamworks Development2021-06-02 | In this video, we walk you through the process of creating a Collaborative Bundle. A Collaborative Bundle is a bundle that includes games from multiple publishers or developers.
If you're already very familiar with Steamworks, you can skip directly to 9:15 to see a quick summary of how to create a Collaborative Bundle.
Questions? Contact our biz and tech team directly: partner.steamgames.com/contactCommunicating With Players Part 2, with Joe Tirado from System Era SoftworksSteamworks Development2021-04-29 | Astroneer first released as a Steam Early Access title back in late 2016. Almost five years later, the game continues to resonate with players new and old. Joe shares lessons about how a small team can use communication to involve players early in the development process and how to handle feedback throughout the life of a game.Let Updates Do the TalkingSteamworks Development2021-04-29 | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has a big, global community of players. In his talk, Gautam will go into detail about how the CS:GO team uses content and game changes to communicate with such a broad audience. He’ll also share some perspective on how a game team can manage the tradeoffs between when to talk, and when to listen. (Sorry, the live Q+A was not included due to a technical issue while recording)Hands-on with Steam’s Communication ToolsSteamworks Development2021-04-29 | This session is a step-by-step walkthrough of the Steam Events & Announcements, led by some of the folks who built the feature. Learn the basics, see the tools in action, and hear best practices to get the most out of Steam’s communication tools.Communicating With Players Part 1, with Jenny Windom from Rose City GamesSteamworks Development2021-04-29 | Sometimes it can feel like player communication and events are only useful for big online multiplayer games, but in this conversation Jenny helps to prove otherwise. This session focuses on some of the strategies and techniques used to build community and engagement around two smaller single-player games: Garden Story, an upcoming adventure RPG developed by Picogram, and Floppy Knights, a card battler developed by Rose City Games. (Sorry, the live Q+A was not included due to a technical issue while recording)Steamworks Quick Tips - Steam PlaytestSteamworks Development2021-04-21 | In this video, we walk you through what Steam Playtest is, how to use it, and we also cover some common questions about the feature.Steamworks Quick Tips - UTM Analytics on SteamSteamworks Development2021-04-07 | In this video, we walk you through how to use UTM analytics on Steam.
Questions? Contact our biz and tech team directly: partner.steamgames.com/contactSteamworks Quick Tips - Steam Broadcast Chat ModerationSteamworks Development2020-12-08 | In this video, we walk you through how to moderate the chat on your Steam broadcast.
Questions? Contact our biz and tech team directly: partner.steamgames.com/contactSteamworks Deep Dive - Steam Front PageSteamworks Development2020-09-23 | In this video, Alden and Al from the Steam team walk you through the front page of Steam and explain how and why games appear there.Steamworks Quick Tips - Approaching Early AccessSteamworks Development2020-08-31 | In this video, Alden, Tom, and Erik offer some tips on how to approach Early Access on Steam.
Questions? Contact our biz and tech team directly: partner.steamgames.com/contactSteamworks Quick Tips - Approaching WishlistsSteamworks Development2020-08-31 | In this video, Alden, Tom, and Erik offer some tips on how to approach Wishlists on Steam.
Questions? Contact our biz and tech team directly: partner.steamgames.com/contactSteamworks Quick Tips - Playtesting with Steam Remote Play TogetherSteamworks Development2020-06-30 | In this video, we walk you through the process of securely and remotely playtesting your unreleased game using Steam Remote Play Together.
Questions? Contact our biz and tech team directly: partner.steamgames.com/contactSteamworks Quick Tips - 3 Types of Steam KeysSteamworks Development2020-06-11 | This video walks you through how to request Steam keys and details the three types of Steam keys.
Questions? Contact our biz and tech team directly: partner.steamgames.com/contactSteamworks Quick Tips - Artwork OverridesSteamworks Development2020-06-11 | In this video, we explain what the Artwork Override feature is and how it's useful, and also show you how to use it step by step.
Questions? Contact our biz and tech team directly: partner.steamgames.com/contactSteamworks Quick Tips - Franchise PagesSteamworks Development2020-06-11 | This video walks you through the process of setting up a Franchise Page on Steam.
Questions? Contact our biz and tech team directly: partner.steamgames.com/contactSteam Events & AnnouncementsSteamworks Development2020-02-11 | This video walks through the Steam Events & Announcements tools available for game developers to communicate with players about the activities, updates, and limited-time events that are happening in their games.
Presented by Alden Kroll from Valve.Steam Business Update / GDC 2019Steamworks Development2019-03-29 | In this talk from GDC 2019, we talk through Valve's goals and priorities for Steam, share updates on what the Steam team is working on next, and how we are approaching growing Steam in emerging markets.
Presented by Tom, Alden, Kassidy and Ricky from ValveQuick Tips - Navigating SteamworksSteamworks Development2017-12-12 | ...SteamVR HardwareSteamworks Development2016-11-28 | Whether you're building a VR golf club or an indoor quad-copter, 3D tracking is the heart of your product. Developed in-house at Valve, SteamVR Tracking is a hardware/software solution that lets your devices know in real time where they are, within a room. Valve is now making SteamVR Tracking fully available to other companies, without licensing fees. Learn the ins and outs of this process. This talk is targeted towards hardware, but game developers are welcome.
Presented by Ben Jackson from ValveThe Art of Communication: Decoding the Creative RelationshipSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | Whether your studio has an in-house art team or external contractors, it can be incredibly difficult for programmers, game designers, and artists to communicate effectively and efficiently. Breakdowns in communication can lead to delays, expenses, and lower-quality products. Andrea will discuss common pitfalls, highlight success stories, and share her own experiences from Valve and beyond. This talk will give developers the tools and advice they need for better communication and better results.
Presented by Andrea Wicklund from ValveAnti-Cheat for Multiplayer GamesSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | Cheating has become rampant in today's online multiplayer gameplay. Drawing from decades of experience, the talk examines the impact of cheating and suggests both technical and community based strategies to stay in control.
Presented by Simon Allaeys and Aarni Rautava from Easy Anti-CheatVulkan GraphicsSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | This panel on Vulkan pulls together graphics experts from across the industry to discuss the present and future of Vulkan, the new generation graphics and compute API. Vulkan provides high-efficiency, cross-platform access to modern GPUs used in a wide variety of devices from PCs and consoles to mobile phones and embedded platforms.
Panelists: Alen Ladavac from Croteam, Dan Ginsburg from Valve, Jeff Bolz from NVIDIA, Rolando Caloca Olivares from Epic, and Mikko Strandborg from Unity Technologies Moderated by John McDonald from ValveThe Future of VR and GamesSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | Leading-edge directions in VR including digital humans, social interaction, user-created content, photorealistic graphics, and breaking down the barriers between genres - and how these trends are contributing towards a new medium resembling the Metaverse from science fiction.
Presented by Tim Sweeney from Epic GamesGame Server HostingSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | Supporting dedicated servers has become a key component of providing a reliable and secure environment for online games. We've gathered a group of panelists with a breadth of experiences both in developing, building and running the necessary software and infrastructure. Expect discussion ranging from where to start, common problems you'll run into and how to keep ahead of the challenges you'll face.
Panelists: Spencer Rose from Bankroll Studios, Steffen Heigel from Valve, Richard Lawrence from Daybreak, Karl Bergström from Stunlock Studios Moderated by Kassidy Gerber from ValveSteam 201 - Sound Advice from Successful DevelopersSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | This talk is designed to provide some more advanced business guidance. It will highlight the Dos and Don'ts of launching a game on Steam, informed by the successes, failures, and feedback of experienced developers.
Presented by Nathaniel Blue from ValveSteam 101 - Getting Started with Marketing Features and ToolsSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | This talk is targeted at newer partners who are shipping their first or second game on Steam. Nothing matters more than making a great game, but Tom will cover basic nuts and bolts of Steamworks, and provide simple, actionable advice to give your game the best chance at success. This talk is also designed to help you ask the right questions to make smart marketing & business decisions.
Presented by Tom Giardino from ValveSteam Inventory ServiceSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | The Steam Inventory Service is a set of features that allow a game to enable persistent player inventories without having to run special servers to manage users or items. Jon will provide an implementation overview, explain the specific problems that the Inventory Service solves for developers, and demonstrate how partners are already using the system to serve their customers.
Presented by Jon Pile from ValveWelcomeSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | Welcome address for Steam Dev Days 2016
Presented by Greg Coomer from ValveSteam ControllerSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | The Steam Controller has come a long way since we first announced it at Steam Dev Days 2014. Valve's Jeff Bellinghausen will provide an update on some of the newest improvements, tools and features for the Steam Controller. Lars Doucet of LevelUp Labs will provide an in-depth walkthrough. Lars will discuss how to integrate your games with the Steam Controller API, and also how to think about input in general, with a strong focus on the "actions" paradigm that the Steam Controller uses. Includes practical examples from the LevelUp Labs game, Defender's Quest.
Presented by Jeff Bellinghausen from Valve, Lars Doucet from Level Up Labs.Video Content on SteamSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | For the past few years Steam has been expanding to include software, soundtracks and now all things video. Whether feature films, shorts, documentaries, tutorials, TV or episodic content, Steam can deliver your video content to the world. This talk will cover how video works on Steam today and how it can be used to connect with your customers. Learn about the various content and business models available, the publishing process and ways to bundle and integrate with other content on Steam. Hear some of the success stories so far and learn about upcoming platform features including 360/VR video support and updates to video discovery on the Steam store.
Presented by Sean Jenkin from ValveBuilding Unity Games for SteamOS/LinuxSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | In this talk, we'll through a detailed overview of the current state of building Unity games for Linux and SteamOS. Topics will include: an overview of the process (with a particular emphasis for people who are new at developing for Linux); discussion of what is new, what is changing, and how these changes will affect developers; a walk thorough common pitfalls and caveats, and what to do about them; how the experimental Linux editor for Unity can reduce iteration times for testing. We'll also discuss some current areas where Linux could improve as a gaming platform, as well as progress over the last few years.
Presented by Na'Tosha Bard from Unity TechnologiesSteam Business UpdateSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | Provides a broad-strokes overview of the Steam platform and the ways in which it has grown and improved in recent years.
Presented by DJ Powers from ValveUGC and Workshop in ARK: Survival EvolvedSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | How leveraging User Generated Content via Steam Workshop has helped foster long a pro-active community for ARK: Survival Evolved, and the technical & design steps we took to make it happen!
Presented by Jeremy Stieglitz from Studio WildcardPhilosophy of VRSteamworks Development2016-11-04 | The value of open platforms, and the past, present, and future of VR.