https://www.change.org/p/take-action-against-impostor-games-on-steam

"We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the growing issue of impostor games on the Steam platform. Impostor games, also known as Trojan Horse games, deceive consumers by masquerading as popular titles while offering low-quality shovelware games. These deceptive practices not only harm consumers who are misled into purchasing inferior products but also undermine the hard work and reputation of legitimate developers.

Recent incidents, such as the fake Day Before, Helldivers, and Counter-Strike pages, have highlighted the urgent need for action. Despite efforts to remove impostor games, the problem persists, leaving consumers and developers vulnerable to exploitation.

We call upon Valve Corporation to implement the following measures to address the issue of impostor games on Steam:

Block Banned Developers' Active Steam Keys: This will immediately pinch the problem of key redistribution at the roots. These scams are facilitated by Steam allowing keys to remain active after a developer has been banned. Once a developer violates Steam's rules, these keys should no longer be able to be redeemed. Ultimately what this also achieves is it makes this scheme far less profitable for them.
Implement Developer and Publisher Verification: Allow legitimate developers and publishers to claim and verify their names on the Steam platform, reducing the risk of misrepresentation and ensuring that consumers can trust the authenticity of the games they purchase.
Manually Review Substantive Store Page Changes: These scams occur not at the immediate launch of a store page, but a few weeks/months after the store page is approved. We are calling on Valve if the developer/publisher wants to make substantive changes to the store page (e.g. a total title change & more than 50% of the description being changed, and/or the entirety of the page's screenshots being overhauled) then this needs to be manually reviewed to assess for any abuse of store tools or any cases of misrepresentation before the changes are rolled out.
Valve must take swift and decisive action to address this issue and restore trust in the Steam platform. Valve can demonstrate its commitment to protecting consumers and supporting the legitimate game development community by implementing these measures."

2 months ago

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A couple of additional relevant links:

YouTube video explaining Impostor games/Trojan Horse games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI1GNsFpsyA

Article detailing the problem: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Sentinels_of_the_Store/announcements/detail/4140568465006104496

2 months ago
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I'm unsure whether the discussion is regarding removing fake games and shovelware from Steam, but I thought you were planning to post it on the petition. Why not share it on the suggestion forum instead?

1 month ago
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It's about Steam itself, while the suggestions forum is for Steamgifts.

1 month ago
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Great shout Junior! I've posted it there as well! Thank you!

The petition doesn't target removing shovelware, but targets Trojan Horse games specifically.

1 month ago
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Oh, got it. So, it looks like some accounts might be taking advantage of the fees and how they're being handled. I'm not entirely sure if this has actually happened though, 'cause I always thought Trojan Horse Games was pretty relentless.

1 month ago
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why is it worth valves effort. what are you gonna do. go to epic? gamers stamp their feet, make stupid petitions, but in the end are fundamentally gutless and its even worse when it comes to the messiah gabe. if you get conned, valve will do a refund, thats the end of the effort you are worth.

1 month ago
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Because it may result in long-term consequences in which if Valve chooses not to do something now, they may be forced into doing something later.

It's very fundamental, do you want scams to be on Steam? I'm sure the reasonable answer would be no. That's why we've chosen to be productive about the conversation and offer up suggestions that we feel can nip the problem in the bud.

1 month ago
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It's worth their effort because neglect that leads to customers losing money can land them in potential legal hot water. The effort their customer base is worth is down to their values vs their financial evaluation, so perhaps dial back the strange derision.

It seems a bit odd that you would rant about gamers stomping their feet and being gutless, while exhibiting those very qualities by taking a sneering tone and suggesting the effort is worthless. Unless of course this was just an attempt at provoking a frustrated response so you can get your daily dose of catharsis bickering in an internet forum, then have at it I suppose?

1 month ago
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Good job and signed! Since I'm collecting banned games (when the game itself is not the reason), I'm happy about remaining keys afterwards, but I agree on everything else.

1 month ago
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Thanks for the sign Myrsan!

1 month ago
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no I can't sign this at all I love collecting removed/banned games

1 month ago
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I love ISIS Simulator

1 month ago
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You do you bud.

1 month ago
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