Today a game developer posted a screenshot of new Steam backend tools that allow developers to set sale prices and periods for their games without having to set it up through Valve, Polygon reported after seeing the post on Reddit.
New Steamworks tools will let game-makers and sellers set their own discounts for their games on the digital distribution service, as well as opt in to weekly Steam sales with more ease.
Valve's Doug Lombardi spoke to Polygon and confirmed that the screenshot was real, and that it's part of an effort to let developers have more choice and be closer with the customers. If they want to set a sale on their own product for a certain duration they can-that, and the subsequent success of their game, is on each developer.
Developers can opt into Steam's weekly sales up to two months in advance, and the same window applies for self-run sales, which have a two-week maximum. They can set these choices ahead of time, and the sales will go live automatically.
Lombardi explained the system saying, "As with the addition of a 'Recently Updated' section to Steam, this is another effort to shorten the distance between developers and customers.
"This new Steamworks tool allows developers to configure discounts for their own products, on their own schedules. They can define custom sale periods or opt in to regularly scheduled sales. This will enable developers to better coordinate their promotions with events, announcements, or major updates they are planning for their products."
Steam offers sales on games throughout the year, sometimes for specific developers, and sometimes at certain times of the year, most notably during the holiday season. Games can often be found at great bargains, especially those that are a little older, but new games see smaller discounts as well.
Other digital distribution platforms do the same, and GameFly has one going on right now. These new Steam tools are good news for developers and gamers alike, as we can expect even more great sales.
