author: Miriam Moszczynska
Valve Banned Curators for Violating Steam Regulations
Valve has stepped in to address the attack on BROK the InvestiGator. The creator's name has been cleared, and players are having second thoughts about the curator's role on Steam.
Source: twitter.com/COWCATGames
You've certainly heard of the unpleasant story that happened to the independent developer COWCAT. His game BROK the InvestiGator fell victim to fake Steam curators, whom the developer tricked by sending them the keys to the title's prologue, rather than its full version (more on which here). They took their revenge in the reviews, but thanks to Valve's actions the whole situation ended on a positive note.
Valve swings into action
On Steam currently we can no longer find any negative reviews of the game. This is because they have been removed by Valve itself. It does not end there, as groups that associated fake reviewers have also said goodbye to the platform.
Now, when you want to visit any of them, you will be greeted by an error message and information that the group has been removed due to violation of the website's rules.
What's more, you won't find other groups founded by the same person or curators on Steam either. It is safe to say that Valve was thorough.
This is not the first time such a situation has occurred
Players pointed to a case from 2015, when a curator forced free keys from developers. When the developers refused, he mobilized his accomplices to carry out a mini review bombing. Yes, just to get back at the devs.
Certainly, both the case from 5 years ago and from a few days ago are just a drop in the bucket of fake Steam curators. While the general idea may have been right, as you can see, some people have decided to use it in quite the opposite way. This, of course, makes gamers doubt whether the presence of curators is needed at all.
