A new report has discovered that Steam - the most prominent PC games storefront - has a growing issue surrounding shovelware and spam games stolen from other platforms. Concerns about digital storefronts like the PlayStation Store and Nintendo eShop being flooded with low-quality shovelware are already quite widespread, and it appears Steam is facing the same problems too.
The advent of generative AI tools being readily available to just about anyone in recent years has exacerbated the already-glaring nuisance of low-effort asset flips clogging up major digital game storefronts. For those unaware, asset flips are low-effort titles that are hastily put together using pre-made resources and assets to resemble popular games and deceive unaware players into buying them. Now, AI artwork and assets have made these knock-off games even more difficult to discern from legitimate titles.
Developer's Game Gets Stolen and Resold on Nintendo eShop
A game developer discovers their own game has been completely stolen and re-uploaded for sale on the Nintendo eShop.
While the PlayStation Store has long been criticized for hosting shovelware, some recent findings from Gamepressure suggest Steam is facing an even more grave issue. Developers on Itch.io - a popular platform for indie creators - are reporting that their games are being stolen and re-uploaded to Steam by a mysterious publisher going by the name "me" or "myself." This individual (or group) has released nearly 70 titles on Steam, many of which are direct copies of Itch.io games created by small developers.
Mysterious Publisher Stealing Itch.io Games and Illegally Reselling Them on Steam
A handful of the examples Gamepressure listed include HardCop 2, which originally came from developer Tokagrien; Dungeon Minesweeper Chronicles, originally made by Aftertea_time; and Open Star Fighter, created by thelastflapjack. It's worth noting that Dungeon Minesweeper Chronicles and Open Star Fighter were recently removed from Steam, but the enforcement against them has reportedly been mostly reactive and driven by Itch.io game devs filing complaints against the nefarious publisher - not Valve acknowledging the problem and voluntarily stepping in to protect creators. The fact that this publisher's page is still live on Steam is baffling, to say the least.
Of course, shovelware and scam games are issues that the PlayStation Store and Nintendo eShop also face denunciation for. However, questionable publishers directly ripping off indie devs and profiting off their hard work is an extremely serious matter. In instances like these, it's up to developers and community members to report such games and bring as much attention to them as possible. One can only hope that Steam will catch wind of this issue soon and take action against these fraudulent publishers.
