Interesting. One would think that, while transferring apps isn't against the rules, hiding their ownership (and even more, buying reviews) are against the rules. If so, why is Valve ignoring it? Maybe there's a grace period for a new owner to set up the page properly... but still in this case seems like it's not done on purpose.
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It's interesting for sure, the first instance I've seen of it happening at quite this large scale. As I mentioned, Steam does forcibly remove the old developer, but there's no mandate to migrate a new developer homepage to the new owner.
I don't suspect they're ignoring it, I did contact Valve about that fake review network a couple of months back and they said they're concerned about it and they'd be investigating its impact, reach, etc. independently. I assume they may very well still be gathering intel on it before taking any action.
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What is the actual point of this - just some sad person or people have too much tme on their hands or to get another 100 or so games removed from Steam?
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This
Any announcement from Sentinels of the Store is worth it.
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So what if I buy this game - I buy them because i'd want the game not caring who made or published it (not that i buy many games through Steam at all anyway)
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That's the beauty see of Sentinels: I and no one else are telling you what games you should and should not buy, nor are we saying what games you should and should not enjoy. That's why our curations are informational, not recommended, or not recommended. What you do with your time and your money (as long as it's legal and abiding by the rules) is fine.
We're here for the people that do care about this information, and want transparency, and don't want to endorse those practices, and keep people informed as well. If you still wish to buy, or play any games listed, totally fine. We're just here to make sure you see all the cards that are getting played before you make your purchasing decision. :)
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The point I think is that since unscrupulous "devs/scammers" are using AI-generated images to sell vague asset flips with false positive reviews, how would you actually know if it's a "game" you want?
The reviews are fake, so are the screenshots on the store page and presumably the game is not an actual game either but just some assets packaged as a game.
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Thanks for the thought out reply, I was wondering what all the hubbub was about as well. Your points make it a lot more clear. This is why I tend to not buy anything because I rely on reviews and images of the game and if they are fake then that kind of throws a wrench in there.
I have to wonder though if these people actually turn a profit? They must somehow if they are still doing it.
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To be fair, there is a refund system on Steam that should make sure that people don't fall for this kind of scams but most people don't try their new games within the two weeks window.
I have to wonder though if these people actually turn a profit? They must somehow if they are still doing it.
I am sure they make a lot of money since the "games" cost them very little (even those with paid assets, I mean how many do they make with the same assets?) and there are always the +1 people who don't even care if a game is really a game as long as they have a bigger number on their Steam page.
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Example of an ex Atomic Fabrik game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1989180/The_World_of_a_Mermaid/
There is no dev or publisher listed at all, not sure if that's even legal in terms of customer rights of many countries.
With a news link to a game coming soon, that game's store page says published by Valkyrie Initiative.
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SteamDB FTW: https://steamdb.info/app/1989180/history/
They can't Streisand this.
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Interesting and at the same time depressing. But I did learn of a new curator Games With Paid Reviews
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Yes! They're a good bunch there. Some great insight and very accurate reports.
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Steam publisher Valkyrie Initiative has been found to own nearly 400 games on Steam, and they are actively hiding their association with the games while also manipulating reviews.
https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Sentinels_of_the_Store/announcements/detail/4686647673457663992
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