on Steam?
Jump to: Business Details | Technical Details | Submission Details
Business Details
1. Does Steam only accept games from major publishers, or will you take a game from an indie developer?
Your game doesn't have to come from a big name studio, as long as it's fun we'd love to see it.
2. What do you look for when accepting games for Steam?
If your game has been previously released we consider such things as year of release, reviews and review scores, previous sales, and awards. For new games we look for unique and interesting gameplay and art, and of course it should be fun!
3. Who sets the price for my game on Steam?
Pricing is very title specific, and we've got a lot of data and experience to help you decide on what the best price is for your title. We'll work with you to figure out pricing.
4. What is your revenue split?
We don't discuss our revenue split publicly. Once we take a look at your game, we'll get to those details.
5. Do the steam royalties apply before or after VAT/country specific taxes?
Taxes are removed before calculating royalties.
6. What is the common payment interval and can we group transactions to minimize banking fees?
We make monthly statements and payments.
7. What other fees come out of my revenue share?
There are some specific adjustments made depending on such things as fraud and returns and these are outlined more fully in our distribution agreement that we will send to you if your game is going on Steam. We do not make deductions for marketing or bandwidth.
8. Do you require exclusivity for titles you sell on Steam?
We think you should get your game in front of as many people as you can, therefore we do not require exclusivity on titles.
9. What are my marketing options on Steam?
We do not sell any of our marketing on Steam. We will work with you to determine the best marketing plan for your title.
Technical Details
1. How do I get access to Steamworks?
To get access to the Steamworks SDK, you still need to submit a demo of your game. All of our publicly available information is located here. If you have further questions you can contact steamworks@valvesoftware.com.
2. My game is in early development stages, don't I need to plan for the SDK integration now?
The Steamworks SDK is easy to integrate, so you can wait until your game is further along in the development cycle before worrying about it.
3. Do you take XNA, Flash or Adobe Air games?
Yes, we accept all three types on Steam. Flash games need to wrapped so that they launch from a stand-alone executable.
4. What language is the Steamworks API available in?
The Steamworks API is written in C++.
5. Do you have a .NET or Actionscript wrapper?
We do not have any wrappers available as part of the SDK.
6. Do you have a DRM solution for .NET, Flash and Adobe Air?
We currently do not have a way to DRM these titles.
Submission Details
1. I've got a game I want on Steam. What should be my first step?
The first step is to send us a demo or full build of your game. There's a bunch of information we like to see along with your game, so please see our submission form for details on what exactly you should submit.
2. How far along should my game be before I send it to you for review?
Your game should be far enough along to show us what the final art and gameplay will feel like. We're happy to take a look at games once they reach the beta stage. Having a few bugs here and there won't impact our decision, but your game should be close to final.
3. What if I don't have a playable game yet?
We always take a look at a game before we decide whether or not to sell it on Steam, so please wait and contact us when your game is further along.
Ready?
Fill out our submission form.
